


One Change

by BrianJustin4Ever



Category: Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, unsure of what characters will be featured
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 13:11:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8447206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrianJustin4Ever/pseuds/BrianJustin4Ever
Summary: What if before Lilly died, before Veronica was raped, she actually gave her virginity to Logan? What might have changed? What might have stayed the same?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Now, get ready, because this is a long author's note.
> 
> For those of you who read my one-shot, "One Night," this story is going to be the expanded multi-chapter that I mentioned I was going to write.
> 
> Now, usually, I finish a story before I post it so I don't discontinue anything, but I won't be doing that this time. I'm writing this for NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a challenge to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Because of that, my quality of writing might not be as great as it usually is. I'm going to try my best, though.
> 
> It's not only this story that's going towards NaNo, but stories in my other fandoms will be a part of it as well. Even so, I'm going to try to finish this story in November.
> 
> Since I'm posting as I write, if you guys have any suggestions for things you want to see, let me know. Any ideas will be helpful.

Veronica bit her bottom lip, shivering under Logan's smoldering gaze as it traveled up and down her body. She wanted this. She knew she did. And if she was truly honest with herself, she might have wanted it for a while.

When she first met Logan, she had a bit of a crush on him but forced herself to let it go when she saw Lilly liked him too. After all, Lilly always got what she wanted.

They were both single now, though.

She didn't know _why_ she was single, other than the fact that Duncan was being a jerk, and right now, she didn't miss Duncan. How could she when Logan was in front of her, in all his shirtless glory?

And Lilly had tossed Logan away, once again, because of a mistake. One Lilly had made tons of times, and one she had never even shown any sign of guilt for.

Veronica gulped. She knew he wanted it to. There was no disguising the tent in his shorts. Still, he didn't make a move towards her yet. She wasn't usually the assertive one, not when it came to matters like this, but she knew she might have to be in order to get Logan to do what she wanted.

She took a step towards him and pressed a hand to his cheek. "We're both single, aren't we?"

Logan's hand first went to her waist, and then he allowed his fingers to lazily trail up and down her side in a sensual caress. "Yeah," he answered gruffly, even as his lips moved just a little closer to hers.

"Then what are you waiting for when it's obvious where this is going?"

"How drunk are you?"

She smiled, pleased that he cared enough about her to ask instead of simply taking advantage of the opportunity. "Drunk enough to not be ashamed to admit I want it, but not drunk enough to not realize what I'm asking for. And I know I'll have my memory tomorrow, and I won't regret it. So, stop stalling. I'm here. I'm available. And I want it."

With a growl, Logan holds her chin between his fingers and pressed his lips against hers in a rough kiss.

She closed her eyes, moaning, knees buckling underneath the weight of his passion.

He didn't let her fall, though. He never allowed her to fall.

She gripped his neck as she angled her head, opening her mouth to his invading tongue.

Logan's arms wrapped around her waist and held her body tight against his, pressing them together so intimately that Veronica felt the hard outline of his erection through his shorts.

Logan's fingers played with the spaghetti straps of her dress before pulling them all the way down.

Veronica had to let go of him so they could slide of her arms, and her dress fell down her body, pooling at her feet and leaving her in nothing by her panties.

When Logan's fingers brushed against her breasts, she whimpered, arching into his touch. "Logan," she breathed against his lips.

Logan pressed another kiss to her lips but kept it chaste. "What do you want?" he asked, latching his lips onto her neck as his fingers trailed down her body and rested on top of her panties, pressing against the heat down there.

She felt a mixture of things. New sensations ran through her body, and she didn't know what to ask for.

Veronica clutched his shoulders, her nails leaving tiny crescent moans in his skin. "I... I..." She shook her head, helpless, not having the words.

Thankfully, Logan seemed to understand and had mercy on her. He brought her to the bed and laid her down on it. He quickly got rid of his shirt and board shorts. And then he was completely bare to her shy gaze.

He began kissing her again as his fingers worked themselves inside her panties. And for the first time, fingers that weren't her own touched her in a place no other boy had ever been or seen before.

"Logan," she keened, lifting her hips off of the bed.

His erection pressed against her inner thigh, and she knew she wanted it inside of her. She _needed_ it inside of her.

Logan got off of her and rummaged in his discarded shorts. She watched through lidded eyes as he pulled out something in foil—a condom, her foggy brain interpreted—and she almost shivered in anticipation.

He ripped the foil with his teeth and slid it onto his _big_ erection.

And then he got her panties off of her, hovered over her, looked into her eyes, and silently asked, _'Are you sure?'_

Veronica nodded, knowing this was what she wanted. At one time, she wanted Duncan to be her first, but this felt right. She didn't understand it, but she felt like Logan was meant to be this for her.

He slowly slid into her, pausing when she closed her eyes against the pain that washed over her at the intrusion.

Logan leaned forward and pressed soft kisses against her lips, distracting her as he slid all the way inside, her channel stretching to accommodate his girth.

And then he was moving, slowly at first and then faster. And then there was a mixture of pain and pleasure before the pleasure began to overtake the pain.

And it wasn't long before Veronica began undulating her hips, meeting Logan's thrusts, being an active participant.

Logan reached between them and touched a bundle of nerves that made Veronica yell her release. He soon followed after her over the cliff.

And when he collapsed next to her, his arms resting on top of her stomach. Neither of them could look at the other.

She knew nothing had really changed. Although she was glad Logan was her first, and she was honest when she said she would never regret it, she knew her and Logan could never be more than what they were tonight.

Lilly would never forgive her if she thought Veronica was moving in on her territory, and she didn't know how Duncan would react if he ever found out about this little interlude.

Neither _should_ have a say, but they would both make it their business. That was the one way the Kane siblings were alike.

Veronica finally forced herself to look at Logan. "Are we going to be okay?"

Logan reached over and cupped her cheek with extreme gentleness she only ever saw aimed at her. "Of course, Ronnie. Why wouldn't we be?"

Veronica breathed a sigh of relief.

They would be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews and encouragement. I really appreciate it, and I hope you like the next chapter.
> 
> Keep leaving suggestions if you want to see something. I'm taking note of all of them, and I'll see if they can work with my own ideas.

Veronica and Logan were huddled together when Lilly came upon them. "What are you doing?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

Veronica jumped away from him as if she had been burnt, but Logan was a bit slower with his moving away.

"Nothing," Veronica exclaimed.

"You sure?" Because you look mightily guilty, V," Lilly teased.

Veronica gulped. Most people would have simply heard the friendly teasing, but she heard the undercurrent of warning in Lilly's voice. "Of course. You know that I _never_ keep secrets from you."

Lilly didn't look convinced, but she thankfully let it go.

Veronica breathed a little bit easier, but she couldn't help but notice the look in Logan's eyes. She didn't know what it meant, but it made her inwardly shudder.

* * *

At one time, whenever Veronica was upset, she would call either Duncan, her boyfriend, or Lilly, her best friend. As she heard her mom drunkenly screaming at her dad, her fingers tapped a familiar number, but one she had never used for this type of situation.

"Hello?"

"Logan?" she asked, a catch in her voice because of the effort it took to hold in her sobs.

"Veronica? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Can you come get me for the night? Please? She begged, jumping when something crashed right outside of her room.

Logan must have heard it too, "What's going on? Are you hurt?"

"Please, just come get me."

Thankfully, Logan didn't ask any more questions. "I'm on my way. Want to stay on the phone with me?"

Veronica gulped as her tears blurred her vision. "No, just come fast." She ended the call and quickly put some clothes into her backpack and anything else she thought she might need.

She waited until she was sure her parents weren't near her bedroom, and then she quietly opened her door, looked down the hall, and when she saw the coast was clear, she crept from her room to the front door. She opened it, stepped outside, and then closed it just as her mother started up again about what a waste her life was.

Veronica sat down on the porch stairs, hugging her legs and resting her forehead on her knees. When the sound of a car pulling up broke through her inner turmoil, she quickly grabbed her bag, stood up, and raced to Logan's familiar car. She nearly jumped into the passenger side and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered into his neck, breathing in his scent and letting it wash over her and calm her.

Logan held her for a moment. And when he pulled back, she could read the questions in his eyes.

"They were fighting. Again."

"Was your mom drunk?" he asked gently.

Biting her bottom lip, Veronica nodded as more tears fell.

Logan kissed her on the forehead and then turned to face the steering wheel. He quickly pulled away from the curb. "Did you tell anyone you were leaving?"

"My dad will know I called one of you guys. He would want me to be with you rather than be at home listening to that."

"I think he would prefer you were with Lilly than with me."

Veronica looked at him. "Well, you both tend to get me into trouble—"

"But Lilly is no threat to your precious virginity," Logan interrupted.

Veronica laughed. "If only he knew that it was a little too late for him to worry about that." It was the first time either of them had even dared to mention that night.

"Then he would _really_ hate me."

Veronica allowed her head to fall against his shoulder. "Thanks for coming to get me."

"You know you can count on me for anything, Ronnie."

Veronica closed her eyes. "I know."

* * *

Logan watched Veronica. He didn't truly try to hide that fact from her, but he didn't think she realized how focused on her he was. She probably figured he was just being a good friend, looking out for her, especially since the last time he had to pick her up from her house was because of her parents fighting.

And maybe being a good friend was part of it, but it wasn't the whole part.

Ever since she allowed him to take her virginity, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He would have been lying if he said it was the best he ever had because it wasn't. She was inexperienced in pretty much every way possible—she had never done anything more than kissing—but despite all of that, he still thought of their night together as special.

He could imagine teaching her, giving her the experience that would make her a bobcat in bed, and he would enjoy every second of it.

She was hot in an innocent way. She didn't show off her hotness, and he didn't even think she thought of herself as hot because she always compared herself to the much more vivacious and curvy, Lilly. But she was hot. And that wasn't all.

Veronica was one of the best people Logan knew, and he had always been drawn to her, even when they were twelve. When he saw the way she looked at Duncan, though, he knew the pull was one-sided, so he turned his attention to Lilly.

Now, the old gravitational pull was back, and he found himself once again focused on Veronica Mars. And now that he had a taste of her, he wanted another taste. And he didn't just want a taste, either. He didn't think he would be satisfied with _only_ a taste.

Veronica hadn't shown him any indication that she was interested in more than friendship after their one night together, though. Maybe she wouldn't actually _tell_ him, but she wasn't good at hiding her feelings, so if she had become interested in exploring a possible relationship with him, he figured he would be able to tell by reading between the lines, but all he saw when he looked into her eyes and looked at her actions was friendship.

He would know for sure if he stated plainly that he wanted more with her, but that could also destroy their friendship if she wasn't interested. Things would become awkward and they might never recover from it.

And he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk their friendship. Wasn't it better to have her as a friend than nothing at all?

* * *

Veronica dreamed about her night with Logan. She dreamed of his hands and mouth. She dreamed of the things he would be able to teach her about sex, about giving and receiving pleasure. Her dreams always ended before the ultimate release, and she woke up gasping for air, the start of Logan's name on her lips. She was forced to dip her fingers into her panties and touch herself, letting her digits slide into her wetness to finish what the dream started.

And it was Logan's face and the memory of his voice that always brought her the much needed release.

She would have loved nothing more than to experiment with him, hand herself over to his very capable hands. She didn't think she would ever regret it.

Logan wasn't the type to form a long attachment with people other than friends, though, especially not people he slept with. The only one he ever broke that rule for was Lilly. Everyone else was friends he cared about or acquaintances that didn't matter to him. She doubted he could ever care about her in the way he cared about Lilly, and Veronica didn't think she could compete against Lilly's in-your-face sexiness. No one could compete against Lilly's in-your-face sexiness, and if a girl ever tried to take Logan away from her—even if they were on a break—Lilly would stomp on them until they were mush beneath her heels.

And Veronica didn't want to risk her heart. It was only a matter of time before Lilly and Logan got back together; they _always_ got back together.

If it ever came down to it, Veronica didn't believe Logan would ever choose her over Lilly, so there was no reason to try to convince Logan to give her a chance, not when it would make Lilly her enemy.

She was just glad she and Logan were friends.

That would have to be enough.

* * *

Some people thought that Lilly was too caught up in herself to notice things happening around her. Okay, most people thought that. And maybe, to an extent, that was true.

Lilly did notice some things, though. She noticed important things. She knew when Duncan broke up with Veronica—before she found out the real reason—it wasn't because Duncan suddenly stopped caring. She knew Veronica was getting closer and closer to the breaking point where her mom was concerned. She knew her own parents considered Duncan the golden child, and only tolerated her. And most importantly, she knew something had happened between Veronica and Logan. She knew something changed between the two of them. She didn't really know _how much_ had changed, but she knew whatever they now felt for each other surpassed the warm fuzziness of friendship.

And she hated it. Not only did she consider Logan hers, but Veronica was also hers. Ever since she decided there was something special about Veronica, something that made her worthy enough to be the fabulous Lilly Kane's best friend, Lilly had claimed Veronica. Had molded her.

Lilly was supposed to be in the center with Logan and Veronica orbiting around each other. But something had upset the balance, and now they were orbiting around each other, and there wasn't any room for Lilly in between them.

Lilly knew she could throw a tantrum. She was almost positive that if she put her foot down, Veronica wouldn't even consider acting on her feelings for Logan. Logan might not be as easily dissuaded—as he tended to follow his heart instead of his cock—but as long as Veronica said no, nothing would happen.

But could Lilly actually do that? Could she actually stand in the way of her best friend's happiness? Lilly wasn't the most faithful—she did have regular sex with Weevil and Aaron after all—and although she cared about Logan and loved him in her own way, she knew he would never be the one she spent forever with. (She didn't even know if she would ever have someone who she could spend forever with.) But he _could_ have forever with Veronica.

Lilly saw the possibilities as clear in day.

So, would she allow her petty jealousy to stop it from happening? Would she be the reason they were unhappy?

The answer was easy.

* * *

Even though she had made her decision, it was still hard cornering Veronica to tell her. And it wasn't because Lilly was having second thoughts. Oh no. It was because Veronica was doing her best to avoid Lilly.

It made Lilly believe something had _already_ happened, but they obviously weren't actually together now. So, Lilly still needed to give her blessing.

She didn't think Logan would need much convincing, so she focused her attention on her best friend, the same best friend that was extremely good at disappearing.

Finally, on October 2nd, two weeks of chasing Veronica ended in victory for Lilly. "V, if I didn't know any better, I would say you didn't want to see me."

Veronica laughed, but it sounded forced. "Why would you say that?"

"Because I haven't been able to talk to you, and I've been trying really hard to have a conversation with you."

"I've just been busy," Veronica deflected.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm going to say this fast before you make an excuse to run away again. There's something between you and Logan." Veronica opened her mouth to argue, but Lilly quickly covered it with her hand, silencing the burgeoning denials. "Yes, there is something there. I'll admit that when I first realize it, I was jealous. But I'm self-aware enough to know that Logan and I aren't forever. And if you two care about each other, you should be allowed to explore all of the possibilities. Without interference from me or anyone else." She took her hand away from Veronica's mouth.

Veronica looked away. "Logan doesn't think of me in that way."

"Oh yes, he does," Lilly answered with the utmost confidence.

Veronica opened her mouth, but she hesitated.

Lilly smiled. "Go ahead. Tell me whatever you have to say. I promise I won't get angry."

"Logan and I had sex one night."

Lilly inwardly jumped up and down on the jealousy that wanted to explode. "Okay, and I'm guessing you two haven't actually talked about it."

She shrugged. "I thought it was just a onetime thing. I wanted him to take my virginity, and I thought that was all it was. In fact, I assumed you two would get back together because you always get back together."

Lilly laughed. "Maybe I'm maturing. I'm thinking about someone other than myself. Listen, no matter what you assumed, you and Logan care about each other. I don't know if it's love yet, but I know there's definitely a chance for it to become love. Despite his sometimes jerky and annoying attitude, Logan is very loyal when he cares about someone. If he gives you his heart, you'll never lose it, and I know he'll take good care of you as well. If you let him."

"That means you haven't lost his heart."

Lilly should have known Veronica would take her words and turn them around. "Logan and I love each other in a way, but it's not the forever kind of love. You and Logan could have the forever kind of love. Stop being scared and tell him that you want more than the one night you already had. Logan won't need much, if any, convincing. Don't worry about me. I'm fine with it."

Veronica opened her mouth and then shut it. She opened it again. "But—"

"No buts, Miss. Mars. Go to Logan."

She smiled when Veronica silently walked away from her. Lilly knew she did well. The two of them could be very happy together, if they allowed themselves to be.

Unfortunately, she never got to see the results of all of her hard work because the next day, she was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the original story, "One Night," I imply at the end that Veronica was still raped. Although this story is starting with the same idea-Veronica and Logan had sex before Lilly's death-it's actually branching off from the one-shot because something different is going to happen the night Veronica was supposed to be raped. I'm not sure if it's going to be Duncan's "rape" (for those of you who believe it to be rape) or Beaver's rape, or both that's going to change yet. I guess I'll see as I write.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the reviews. I'm touched by the response this story is getting. This chapter is a bit shorter, but it felt right to end it here.

Her mom was nowhere in sight—she wasn't even sure if Lianne had come—but Veronica stood next to her dad as the casket was lower. The casket... the casket that held Lilly. She swallowed back the sobs that wanted to erupt out of her. It wasn't fair. Just two weeks ago, Lilly was being her usual pushy self and telling Veronica to go get Logan, and now, she was gone. How could things go horribly wrong so quickly? Lilly didn't deserve death. No one deserved to be killed in such a brutal way. Why would anyone do this to her? What kind of monster did this to her?

She looked to her left and saw Logan there with his mother. She didn't know where his dad was, but Veronica was almost thankful that Aaron Echolls wasn't there. Something about him had always scared Veronica. She had always made sure to never be alone with the man, and something seemed off about his treatment of his family. She had never been brave enough to ask Logan, though, knowing how volatile he could get when a subject he didn't like was breached.

As if sensing her eyes on him, Logan looked to the side and their eyes connected. His eyes were haunted, and Veronica's heart yearned to help him. She looked at her dad and nodded imperceptibly in Logan's direction.

Keith looked at the teenage boy and silently gave his daughter permission to leave his side. Veronica hurried over to Logan and Lynn. She slipped her hand into Logan's larger one but was shocked when Logan quickly pulled away as if he had been burnt.

She swallowed down the pain the action caused her and crossed her arms over her stomach, hugging her own body in a tight embrace.

She stared as dirt filled the hole, forever burying the body of the best friend she ever had. When everything was done, Veronica looked at Logan. He didn't meet her eyes; instead, he simply turned and walked away, to the parking lot where his family's limo was waiting.

Veronica wanted to go after him, but by his actions, it was obvious he didn't want her company. _'Does he hate me?'_

She didn't realize she had spoken the question out loud until Lynn answered her. "He doesn't hate you, Darling. He's hurting, and he's confused, and all he cares about is finding out who killed Lilly."

Veronica looked at Lynn. She had always been so nice to Veronica. In fact, she had a strong suspicion that Lynn had liked her much more than she liked Lilly. She didn't know why, but the suspicion had always been there, in the back of Veronica's mind. "Then why won't he let me help?"

Lynn placed a warm hand on Veronica's cheek. "He likes to deal with pain by isolating himself, but when it isn't so fresh, he'll come out of hiding, and then you two can be there for each other. Come by the mansion in a couple of days. I'm sure he'll talk to you then."

Veronica wasn't so sure a couple of days would be enough time, but she nodded anyways because she _hoped_ he'd want to see her in a couple of days.

* * *

Logan stared at the ceiling. He tried to turn his thoughts onto Lilly, but all he could think about was Veronica's hurt expression.

He groaned in frustration and closed his eyes, as if doing so would block out the images in his mind. His on-and-off girlfriend was dead— _murdered_ , his mind helpfully supplied—and all he could think about was the on-and-off girlfriend's best friend. The same best friend he had sex with not that long ago.

That was just so wrong. If Lilly knew, she would never forgive him. In fact, she would probably castrate him.

And he felt guilty about what happened that night with Veronica. When Lilly had been alive, he had been interested in having something more with Veronica, but with what happened to Lilly, he just didn't think it was right to want such a thing with Veronica.

Still, he didn't have act so cold to Veronica, did he? She was just trying to comfort him. Trying to be his friend, and he rejected her. He just felt so guilty for the feelings Veronica evoked in him, but now he also felt guilty for hurting her. She was grieving too, and he should have been there for her. He knew her dad was there for her, but she needed her friends, people who loved Lilly as much as she did. And Logan knew there was no way Duncan would do anything to be there for Veronica, not with the robotic state he was in right now.

Logan shouldn't have walked away from her. He knew that.

That didn't change the fact that when his mother came and told him Veronica was here to see him a couple of days later, Logan glared at her. "Tell her I'm sleeping."

He'd talk to Veronica but not today. Maybe tomorrow?

Tomorrow didn't come. Or at least, Logan talking to her didn't come. Before he was able to get up the guts and actually face her, he heard about her siding with her dad when the sheriff accused Jake Kane of having something to do with Lilly's murder.

How could Veronica actually believe that Jake would have his own daughter killed, or even just cover it up? Jake wanted justice as much as anyone else.

Logan looked at himself in the mirror. _'Fine, if Veronica wants to turn her back on Lilly, and go against Lilly's memory, let the games begin,'_ he thought.

He ignored the way his gut automatically clenched at the idea of hurting Veronica. _She_ did this. She chose her dad over Lilly. And Logan would make sure she came to regret her choice. It was Logan's personal mission that Veronica would regret standing against him. Standing against Lilly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to have a big scene, probably a scene most of you want to see. :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the reviews.

Veronica didn't know if she should go to Shelly Pomroy's party. She knew it was gutsy move. All of the 09'ers had pretty much banished her. Even Logan wanted nothing to do with her, unless he was saying horrible things of course.

The only thing she was grateful for was when he taunted her, he left out their one night together. He hadn't crossed that line. At least not yet.

Veronica just knew it was coming, though. How many times could he torment her about her alcoholic mother before it got boring, right?"

She closed her eyes, doing her best to keep the tears at bay. She remembered when he comforted her that night he picked her up from her house. How could they go from that to what was going on now? When he used her mother's condition to hurt her?

Veronica didn't have any blinders where the 09'ers were concerned. They only tolerated her for Lilly, and when she sided with her dad, she knew she was saying goodbye to them. She never dreamed she would be saying goodbye to Logan as well.

She knew he might be angry at what he thought of as a betrayal, but she also thought he'd be a least a little understanding. How could she turn away from her dad? How could she abandon him, especially when her mother was already gone? The answer was simple. She couldn't. So, how could Logan actually expect her to publically denounce her dad's belief of what was true and what wasn't?

She missed Logan so much, but she knew he didn't want her anymore. Not as a friend and not as more. Whatever Lilly had potentially seen between them was obviously dead.

Her going to the party wouldn't change that. It would only prove that she wouldn't let the 09'ers' gossip get to her. Or at least she could fake it until she could make it.

Veronica nodded to herself. It was settled. She was going to the party and nothing was going to stop her.

* * *

Logan watched Veronica take a drink. He couldn't believe she _actually_ had the nerve to show up. It boggled his mind. Didn't she realize she wasn't welcomed?

He tried to ignore her, but his eyes kept going back to her. She was acting a bit odd. His eyes narrowed. Was she actually _flirting_ with Dick? Veronica had never made it much of a secret that she didn't really like Dick, so why was she coming onto him like that? And so strongly at that?

He clenched his hands into fists because Dick seemed way too into it. He saw Madison Sinclair march out of the house and knew Dick would be getting an earful tomorrow.

He turned his attention back to the pair on the couch. The more he watched, the more he realized she was really out of it.

And this wasn't just her being drunk. He had seen a drunken Veronica before. Homecoming came to mind. She was giggly and happy, but she didn't become a flirt.

He thought back to the drugs that were going around—drugs that _he_ had brought to the party. No matter what Veronica was feeling, she would never have taken drugs; he was certain of that. Of course, that didn't mean someone hadn't slipped something into her drink when she wasn't paying attention.

Dick's hands were moving along Veronica's body, inching their way up towards her breasts. He sighed. No matter how angry he was at her, he couldn't allow her to be taken advantage of when it was possible she had been drugged.

He quickly strode over to the couch and without saying anything to Dick, other than a "Fuck you," when Dick complained, he grabbed Veronica's upper arm and dragged her off of Dick's lap.

He sneered at the sight of Dick's excitement and quickly pushed her through the house. He checked the rooms and when she began fighting his manhandling her, he practically carried her into the first empty one he found.

He laid her down on the bed, unsure of what to do next. He looked around and almost jumped when Duncan stumbled in, looking a bit high. Logan didn't know what Duncan took, considering he had been paying attention to Veronica, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was the GHB. His eyes landed on Veronica, and he moved towards the bed, but Logan stopped him.

"Come on, DK. I think we need to get you some water."

"But 'Ronica," Duncan protested, staring at the bed longingly.

Logan steered him out of the room. "Veronica will be okay, but you won't be if you don't drink some water."

Duncan kept trying to walk back to the room, but Logan was firm, and Duncan eventually gave up.

Logan watched Duncan for a while, but his attention kept going to the hall where the room Veronica laid was located. He shouldn't have left her in there alone. In her state, anything could happen to her. He had a bad feeling when he saw Dick push Beaver down the hallway.

He shot a glance at Duncan who was beginning to fall asleep on the couch. No one would dare do anything to harm the heir to the Kane fortune, especially with what happened to Lilly.

Sure that Duncan would be okay for the time being, Logan raced to the hallway. His steps quickened even more, and he pushed the door to the bedroom open, just in time to see Dick hand Beaver a condom with such very disgusting advice.

In a dangerous voice, Logan growled, "If I was you, Dick, I would take your brother and leave quickly. Especially when you can still walk."

Dick turned around. "What's the big deal, Dude? It's just Mars. You know, the one who turned her back on Lilly."

Logan had to try very hard to not punch Dick. "The big deal is what you're telling Beaver to do would be considered rape. And I wouldn't want to be you if Lilly's ghost decide to come back to haunt you for it." He turned his attention to Beaver. "And you, you might try to play scared and innocent, being bullied and forced into something you don't want to do, but I'm not as stupid as people seem to think I am. You were actually considering it, and it would be all on you, no matter how much you might _want_ to blame Dick." He moved out of the doorway. "Both of you. Leave now! Or else!"

Beaver ran from the room.

Dick sauntered out, not looking even a little bothered by what could have happened. He stopped at the door. "You know, you said Lilly's ghost would haunt me. What do you think she would do to _you_? A supposed friend of her best friend torturing that best friend. If Lilly haunts anyone, it will be you."

Logan wanted to refute that, be he couldn't. For once, Dick was right about something. When he was alone in the room with Veronica, he sat down on the bed and stared at her.

If Lilly was watching him, if she saw how he treated Veronica, there would be nowhere for him to run and hide from her wrath. There were a lot of things about Lilly that weren't the greatest, but the one thing she had going for her was her loyalty to Veronica. Frankly, Lilly would probably write him out of her life if she had been alive when he began treating Veronica like a pariah, and making sure everyone else in school did as well.

He placed a hand on top of her hands, where they rested on her stomach. In her sleep, her lips tilted in a small, almost minuscule, smile. "Veronica, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Of course, she wasn't awake to hear it. That was okay, though. She would hear it as soon as she was awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what's going to happen next.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the reviews.

When Veronica woke up, she felt disorientated. Her head pounded and when she moved even a little bit, she felt as if she was going to throw up.

She tried to sit up, but the room spun, so she quickly closed her eyes and kept her head still. "Ugh," she groaned.

"You're up," a voice spoke from her left.

In her foggy state, she didn't recognize the voice right away and automatically stiffened. Her heartbeat seemed to go faster as she tried to figure out who spoke.

"Veronica?" the same, _male_ , voice questioned.

She swallowed nervously and cautiously opened her eyes. The sight of the familiar form didn't immediately calm like it might have in the past. "What knew torture have you thought up for me?" she weakly asked.

Hurt flashed in Logan's eyes. "I deserved that."

She didn't agree or disagree with the sentiment, or at least she didn't out loud. Inwardly, she viciously thought, _'You deserve that and so much more_.' Out loud, she asked, "Where am I?"

"At my humble abode," Logan feebly joked.

That didn't make her feel any better, especially since there was a lot of the previous night that she didn't remember. "You're room?"

Logan's eyebrows furrowed before his eyes widened in realization at what she was asking without actually _asking_ it. "Of course not. In the guest room. How could you think I'd do something with you when you were obviously out of it?" he angrily demanded.

Forgetting that she'd feel sick if she moved too quickly, Veronica quickly sat up. She crossed her arms over her chest and bit her bottom lip until the sudden bout of nausea passed. When she felt sure she would keep down her last meal, she exclaimed, "What should I think!? The Logan I knew wouldn't have treated me as horribly as you have. Why should I think you wouldn't take it that far? After all, I've been waiting for you to brag about taking my virginity. I'm surprised you haven't. What a perfect form of torture that would have been."

She looked away, but not before she saw Logan's posture slump. "Okay, I get it. I've been a lousy friend, and an even lousier human being. And I hate the fact that you could think so little of me, but you have no reason to think otherwise."

Veronica didn't look back at him.

Logan continued, hoping to get some kind of response from Veronica. Even if it was more angry words. "Veronica, I was never planning to announce our big night together, and it wasn't even because of Duncan's reaction, which I'm sure would have been extremely unfavorable."

Still no look. All he got was a twitch at the mention of Duncan.

Logan couldn't help wondering, _'Does she still love Duncan? Even now?'_ He had no right to ask her that, so he continued with his piece. "I was never planning to tell anyone because I think of that night as being special. We got a lot closer than I ever thought we would, and I'm not just taking about the physical closeness. After that night, you seemed to trust me so much more. You trusted me enough to call me about your mom, and until then, it was never me you ran to."

Finally, Veronica looked at him. "And you saw how that turned out? You used it against me! Threw it back at my face just to hurt me! And you knew it would hurt! I trusted you, and you turned on me. Right when I needed you the most! How could you!?"

Logan's anger came back, and he retorted, "How could you side with your dad over Lilly!?"

"He's my dad! My mom had already left. Went who knows where?! How could I turn my back on a man who has always been there for me? Not everyone is like you. I actually have a good relationship with me dad!"

Logan stumbled away as if he had been slapped.

Veronica's shoulders slumped. She hadn't meant to say that. She had no concrete evidence, but there had always been signs that not everyone was okay in his house, especially where Aaron was concerned. That was one of the reasons she had always stayed away from the man. "Logan, I'm s—"

Logan shook his head, interrupting her mid-apology. "No, you're right. Your relationship with your dad is a lot better than mine is with my dad."

"I shouldn't have said that," Veronica quietly replied.

"You were just responding to my accusations, right?"

Veronica didn't answer.

"And the funny thing is... I hadn't even been planning to fight with you when you woke up. It just happened. I had wanted to say I'm sorry, but then you shouted, and I shouted, and... Well.. Here we are. Funny how arguments spiral out of control so fast, huh?"

Veronica latched onto one piece of pertinent information. "You were planning to say you were sorry?"

Logan smiled. "Yeah. I realized, surprisingly with the help of Dick, that Lilly would probably have killed me for treating you so poorly, especially since she's not around to protect you from the 'evil 09'ers.'" He emphasized 'evil 09'ers' with air quote in his goofy way that for once, didn't bring a smile to her face.

"Dick helped you?" Veronica disbelievingly asked.

"Not on purpose, trust me. He was drunk and stupid. And the last thing he wanted was to help me. I think he was trying to hurt me actually."

Veronica nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

Logan wanted to make a joke about how she just did but held his tongue. He simply nodded.

"Why?"

"Why what?" he asked.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Why have you treated me so poorly? I get you were angry at me about my dad, and you thought me agreeing with me dad about Jake being involved was also me betraying Lilly. I get that, but still, the way you treated me was so extreme. Especially with everything you said about my mom. There has to be another reason for it. So why?"

"You don't ask the easy questions, do you?"

Veronica didn't look away. "If you want me to maybe forgive you, you'll be honest with me. So, why?"

"I felt guilty."

Veronica tilted her head. "Guilty about what?"

Logan looked at her like she was nuts. "About us. That night! The fact that we went behind Lilly's back. How she might have felt about it if she knew. And then, she's died. How can I not feel guilty?"

Veronica's breath caught as she remembered the conversation she had with Lilly the day before everything went bad. She wanted to tell him what Lilly said, about having her blessing if they wanted to explore what they felt for each other, but an inkling of doubt still bothered Veronica. Would it even matter? After everything Logan did to her, after all of the hurtful words, would they be able to be at a place where they could maybe be what Lilly thought they could be?

She really didn't know the answer, but she also knew that wasn't a good enough reason to keep the truth from Logan. Even if they could never be _that_ to each other, at least if Logan knew how Lilly felt, the guilt wouldn't weigh down so heavily on him.

"Um, Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"The day before Lilly was..." she trailed off.

He nodded understandingly.

She took a deep breath and continued, "Lilly and I talked. She figured out something had happened between us and confronted me about it."

"What did she say?"

"That she thought there could be something special between us, and she wasn't going to stand in our way. In fact, she gave me her blessing to go to you and tell you I had feelings for you. That I wanted something more than the one night." The last sentence was said a bit haltingly, but at least she got it out."

"You have feelings for me?"

" _Had_ ," Veronica retorted seriously. "And now, I honestly don't know what I feel for you."

"Veronica—"

"You hurt me," Veronica interrupted. "I trusted you more than _anyone_ alive, except maybe my dad, and you turned against me, and you made sure the school turned against me. How am I supposed to feel about you now?"

"I'm sorry."

Veronica nodded. "I understand that, but sometimes, sorry just isn't enough."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Veronica looked around the room. "You can start by being honest with me. What happened last night and why don't I remember it?"

Logan opened his mouth, and then closed it. He already knew he was going to tell her the truth, but he just didn't know how to say it.

Still, he began, "Well, you see..."

And Veronica had her whole world rocked by the knowledge of how hurt she could have been if Logan hadn't been watching over her. Even as angry as he was, he _still_ protected her, and that definitely counted for something in her books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what's going to happen next.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the reviews.

Logan stared at the headstone. "I really screwed up, huh?"

He could almost hear Lilly's, _'Of course, Lover.'_

He sighed. "I had been so guilty about you, about what I did with Veronica. I turned on her when she probably felt the most alone. And now, I may have lost whatever chance I had with her."

_'What are you going to do about that?'_

"What can I do?" he asked Lily's imaginary voice. "She hates me, and she has every right to hate me."

He closed his eyes as his mind was assaulted with image after image of Veronica. Of her smiling. Of her frowning. Of that little eyebrow twitch she did when she was annoyed. Of her soft hands touching him, comforting him, after a particular bad fight with Lilly.

He thought about all of the times she had been there for him, and the times she had allowed him to be there for her. Deep down, he knew she didn't _hate_ him. In fact, he didn't think she had the capacity to hate anyone. She _was_ hurt, though. And angry.

But if she didn't hate him, he had the chance to make things right. And maybe, there was still a chance they could have more than friendship. But even if there could only ever be friendship now, he'd accept that. As long as it meant he got Veronica back in his life.

He stood up and smiled sadly at the headstone. He wondered if Lilly would be watching him making a jackass out of himself as he worked to earn Veronica's forgiveness. If she did watch, he knew she'd enjoy every minute of it.

"Thanks for the advice, Lilly. This time, if I get back into Veronica's good graces, I won't let you or her down. I promise."

 _'You better keep that promise, or I might come down there and castrate you,'_ the imaginary voice threatened.

Logan shook his head. Even imaginary Lilly threatened him. He looked towards the parking lot.

First thing first. He needed to pay Veronica a visit.

* * *

When Veronica opened the door, she didn't know what she expected to see. It certainly wasn't Logan. After their intense morning-after discussion, things between them became awkward, and she quickly made an excuse to leave. "Hi."

"Hi. Can we talk?"

Veronica looked behind her. Her dad sat at the counter with a cup of coffee that he raised to her. She rolled her eyes before she stepped outside and closed the door. "My dad's home and he's being nosy," she explained.

They sat on the steps, not touching, but close enough that she could feel the heat emanating from Logan. She fought down the shiver.

"I visited Lilly."

"Was it a good visit?"

"I swear I could hear her telling me off."

Veronica laughed. "Yeah, I sometimes still think I hear her talking to me, especially when I'm doing something I know she would think is stupid."

"I was wondering if maybe we could hang out. Like old times."

She looked away. "I don't know."

"Veronica, how can I make things right if you don't give me a chance to do so?"

She looked at him again, eyes blazing. "How can I trust that you won't turn your back on me if things get bad again? Trust has to be earned. And it's harder to re-earn once it has been broken."

"How do I do it then?"

"Be there for me without expecting anything in return."

He took her hand.

She wanted to flinch away from the light touch, but she stopped herself.

"I will work myself back into your life. That's a promise."

Veronica bit her bottom lip. She wondered what Logan saw when he looked at her. She wasn't the same pink princess she had been when he took her virginity. Lilly dying, her father losing his job, and all of her friends turning on her changed her. And she didn't know if Logan would like the change or find it repulsive.

Only time would tell, of course.

"I hope you're right because despite the fact I'm playing hard to get, or at least that's what you're probably thinking I'm doing, I really _do_ want you back in my life. I just don't know if I can trust you."

Logan nodded and squeezed her hand. She returned the light squeeze with one of her own.

* * *

The next time Logan saw her, it was at the ice cream parlor. He didn't even see her right away. It was Dick that pointed the lone figure out. "What's Mars doing here? And looking like that?"

Logan looked and his breath caught. It was Veronica all right, but she looked completely different. Her once gloriously long blonde hair had been chopped into a short style that stopped above her shoulders. She wasn't wearing a pretty dress or skirt. Instead, she had on a t-shirt, jean jacket, pants, and combat boots.

He subtly adjusted himself in his pants, really liking the new, very sexy look. He got up and ignored Dick's call for him to wait. He walked over to the table where she was contently licking a cone. The image sent more blood surging to his already hard cock. "Veronica?"

She looked at him through eyes that had heavy eyeliner around them. "Hey."

"New look?"

Veronica shrugged. "I've changed quite a bit, and I've decided that if you're so interested in getting back into my life, you should meet the new me. I'm not the same girl you knew, and I don't want you looking for that girl." She stood up. "This is me. Take it or leave it."

His mouth parted slightly as he worked to get his thoughts in order. "Did you think this was going to scare me off?"

"I'm not the Veronica you were friends with."

"You're still Veronica, though. You're the girl who was always there for me. The girl who asked for surfing lessons, but after she fell _one time_ off the board, declared she'd never surf again. And just so you know, I will get you back on that board eventually. You're the girl I had one wonderful night with before I royally screwed everything up. You might be a different version of the girl I know, but you're still her. I'll call you Veronica 2.0 if I have to, but you're still Veronica. And who says I won't like this new you? If I'm being perfectly honest, it's hard to believe there will be any version of you that I won't like."

Veronica lightly blushed. "Really? You like the boots?"

He smirked. "I find them kind of sexy."

Veronica's mouth opened, and then closed. And then opened again. "Sexy?"

"Oh yes."

With the flush rising to her cheeks, he knew that she wasn't as unaffected by him as she liked to pretend she was. And that gave him hope, which was a good thing to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a little trouble with this chapter. The words just wouldn't come, but I did my best. I wonder if I should skip to where the series actually starts now that I've done some pre-series stuff, especially since I don't know what else to write for pre-series. Any input?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the reviews.

Veronica looked up from her pad of paper at the sound of the door opening. She straightened her spine. "Logan, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to?"

Logan smirked. "I was wondering if you can get out of here. Maybe go to the beach?"

"I can't. I'm helping my dad today with his caseload."

Caseload. Not as a Sherriff but as a private investigator. It wasn't fair. Just because no one wanted to believe that Jake Kane might have possibly murdered Lilly, or at least had something to do with it or the cover-up, her dad was fired from a position he _deserved_. And Lamb took over?! The idea was completely laughable.

Veronica wanted to help her dad as much as possible, and she was even learning a lot about the whole private investigator business. Her dad said she was a natural, and she knew he was bothered by that.

In her dad's eyes, she should be aiming far higher up, her worth was greater than anything he was presently doing, and he didn't want her too comfortable in the whole private investigator gig, even though she was helping him with more than simple paperwork.

"Oh," Logan murmured. "When do you have time to hang out then?"

Veronica looked back down at her desk. "Logan, I'm busy. My dad needs all the help he can get. Especially since I won't be able to do as much once school starts. He needs me."

"What about me?" Logan asked.

Veronica looked up at him again. Her feelings of regret were swamped by newer feelings of anger. "You? What do you mean what about you!?"

"I want us to spend time together!"

"You should have thought about that _before_ you broke my trust. I'm not going to change my life to suit your needs. So far, my dad is the only one that hasn't let me down, so I'm choosing him."

Logan couldn't stop himself when the next bitter thing slipped out of his mouth. "Once again."

She stood up. "Leave."

Logan's eyes widened when he realized what he said, what he implied. "Veronica—"

She shook her head. "No, you told me you finally understood why I chose to believe my dad. You said you accepted it and all you wanted was for you and me to be an us again. Obviously, that was all a lie. Leave."

"I'm sorry," he rushed to get out.

"Sorry isn't going to do it. I'm not going to let you back in, only for you to hurt me when I don't jump to your tune. Guess what, Logan? I have my own mind. I'm not as much of a pushover as I used to be. And if you don't like that, go find some other simpering blonde to do whatever you want. Because that won't be me. Leave now, or..." she took her favorite object out of her desk. "...I'll taser you. Your choice."

Logan hesitated, but he finally turned and walked out of the building, the door slamming behind him.

"Are you okay, Sweetie?"

Veronica jumped. In all of her anger, she had forgotten that her dad was actually there, in his own office. "I'm fine," she muttered.

"You never did tell me what happened between you and Logan."

She sat down and put the taser away. "It's none of your business."

"If he upset you that much, I think it is my business."

She looked at Keith. "Dad, I love you, but there are some things I just don't want to talk about. So please, let it go."

He sighed. "Honey, I love that you have learned to stand up for yourself, although I wish you didn't have to get hard because of Lilly's death, but just remember, you can talk to me about anything."

She didn't correct him on the reason she hardened. Lilly's death was part of it, but it wasn't the whole reason. And she hoped he would never find out about the whole reason. No matter how angry she was at him, she still felt the desire to protect Logan from her dad's wrath. "I know I can talk to you about anything, but there are still some things I don't want to talk about at all. And this is one of them. So, let it be."

He sighed and walked back into his office, and Veronica was left alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Logan knew he missed up. He had just been so angry, and as he saw his chance of having a relationship with Veronica slipping away, he said the first thing that came to his mind, and of course it was the stupidest thing he could have said.

He was always saying stupid things. Lilly used to call him a pro at it.

And now he was sitting by the pool moping. "Dude, what's your problem?"

Logan shook his head. He couldn't believe he was still talking to Dick, but he knew Dick hadn't really understood the possible consequences of his actions. And it was Dick that helped make Logan see the error of his ways in his treatment of Veronica. Fat lot of good that did, though, especially considering he was pretty sure Veronica was done with him. And this time, it was for good.

"Nothing," he muttered.

"Really? You kind of look like some skank gave you an STD." He laughed.

Logan glared at him.

"Well, you do! You're all sad and stuff!"

"I screwed up with Veronica, and I'm pretty sure she wants nothing to do with me now."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure why you're even bothering. Now that Lilly's gone—"

"Don't you dare," Logan hissed dangerously. "Don't even imply that I was only friends with Veronica because of Lilly. Lilly might have introduced us, but I do like Veronica, with or without Lilly."

Dick blinked. "If you say so..."

"Dick, go home."

"Nah. Dude, if you're that upset about Mars being angry at you, than do something about it."

Logan finally looked at the blond surfer. "Like what? I'll be lucky if she even talks to me now."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Make her take notice. Make it so she can't ignore you."

Dick's words got Logan thinking. _'Make her take notice, huh?'_ He could totally do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I think I've set it up to begin the retelling of the first season next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but the chapter is over 3k. My longest chapter ever.

"What a day," Veronica internally mused. It was only lunchtime, but she was exhausted.

She frowned as she remembered the boy from this morning. A boy had been duck taped to the flagpole, and instead of helping him, everyone had simply stood around, stared, and laughed.

Her eyes, focused on her sandwich, narrowed into slits. It was one of the reasons she hated Neptune so much. As soon as she could, she would leave this awful city and never look back.

"If you keep scrunching your face like that, you may get wrinkles, and it would be a shame to ruin such a pretty face," an all too familiar voice joked.

She sighed. And here was another reason she hated Neptune.

"Go away, Logan," she demanded without looking up at him.

"Um, no. By now, shouldn't you realize that doesn't work on me?"

She finally lifted her head and met his gaze. "A girl can hope."

It seemed Logan didn't take kindly to Veronica kicking him out of her life because he did the exact opposite. He showed up everywhere she was. Chose to sit with her at lunch instead of his 09'er friends. Pretty much just drowned her with his presence.

"You're really annoying," she stated matter-of-factly, like she did every lunch period.

"I think you mean charming," he relied, like always.

A throat cleared and both snarking individuals looked at the new source. "Hi."

Veronica raised her eyebrows, recognizing him as the boy from this morning. "May I help you?"

"I'm Wallace. Can I sit?"

Veronica smiled sweetly. "Yes, Logan was just leaving."

"No, I was just making myself comfortable," Logan retorted.

Veronica glared at him and his infuriating smirk.

"You okay?" the boy asked.

"I would be better if Logan would leave me alone instead of being a constant thorn in my side."

Logan didn't take his eyes off of her. "Now you know I can't do that. You know that when I set my mind to something, I don't give up. And my mind has been made up. You _will_ forgive me."

Veronica swallowed, trying to ignore the slight flutter in her stomach at what she thought was his sincerity. She _couldn't_ let him in. _Couldn't_ trust me again. It would only end up with her having a broken heart all over again.

She decided she should just ignore him until he finally understood she was never taking him back, so she turned her attention to flagpole boy. "I'm Veronica. Sit down. Please."

Wallace did as he was told. "So, I just wanted to say that was pretty cool of you this morning. You know, cutting me off of that pole."

Veronica shrugged. "Well..."

She was interrupted by a head-shaven, tattooed biker. And it was the only biker that she actually knew the name of. "My bitch. Weren't you supposed to wait for me at the flagpole? I'm not sure I could have made that any clearer."

Weevil and other bikers crowded around Wallace who let out an uncomfortable laugh. "Okay, I get it. Funny."

Weevil didn't look amused. "Yeah?"

"So, let's call it even, huh?"

Weevil practically growled, "You get what boy? You get that you're a dead man walking, is that what you get?"

Veronica finally spoke up. "Leave him alone."

Weevil turned his attention to Veronica, grinned, and moved to stand over her. "Sister, the only time I care what a woman has to say is when she's riding my big old hog, but even then, it's not so much words, just a bunch of oohs and aahs, you know?"

Now Logan stood up. "Back off or else," he warned.

Weevil looked at Logan as if he was a bug that landed on his motorcycle. "Or else what, Rich Boy?"

Logan's right hand curled into a fist, but Veronica shoved him so he would take his eyes off of Weevil. "I don't need or _want_ you to fight my battles, Logan. You no longer have the right."

Logan glared at her. "No matter how you may feel about me—no matter how much you might _hate_ me—I will never stop protecting you."

She arched an eyebrow. "Really? Because I remember a time where you could be considered one of my biggest attackers. Or was that just in my mind?"

Logan's eyes shifted to the table. "You'll never know how truly sorry I am about that. I can't erase my past mistakes, but I can make sure I don't do the same thing in the future." He looked at her again, his chocolate eyes blazing with emotion. "And I sure as hell can make sure no one else hurts you. And there's nothing you can say to make me stop."

Veronica's chest heaved as her anger built. "Well guess what, Logan!? I just want you out of my life for good?! If you truly cared about me like you _claim_ , you'd just do what I want and leave me alone. So, go away!"

"Glad I didn't miss such an interesting show," Weevil remarked.

Veronica glared at Weevil. "If you don't leave right now, I have plenty left for you. And you have no idea what I'm capable of when I'm angry."

Another biker took a step forward. "Dude, Weevil. Don't let blondie talk to you like that!"

Veronica raised her eyebrows. "I'll make sure to have enough left over for you as well. And that's a promise."

The biker sneered and got closer to her. He raised his hand as if he was going to strike her. Veronica grabbed her taser from in her pocket, ready to light him up with Mr. Sparky if she needed to. Surprisingly, it was Weevil who stopped him, putting out his arm to hold him back.

Weevil wasn't needed, though, because Vice Principal Clemmons arrived, and the bikers soon dispersed.

Veronica turned her attention back to Logan. "You can go now as well."

Logan seemed genuinely torn, but in the end, he chose to sit back down.

Veronica closed her eyes, centering herself, before she opened them and looked at Wallace. "So, what did you do? Why are you a dead man walking?"

And that was when Wallace told her the story that involved Sac-N-Pac, alcohol, not paying, and the Sheriff.

Veronica shook her head. "Congratulations, sport. In your short time here, you've already managed to piss off the motorcycle gang and the local sheriff.

Later that day, Veronica walked into the pool area of her apartment complex. She heard sounds of splashing which triggered a memory.

It was her birthday when everything was still good. She had been with Duncan, and Logan had been with Lilly. Even then, she remembered staring at a shirtless Logan just a little long for it to be normal. Especially when she had a boyfriend.

She swallowed and wondered how long she might have actually had feelings for Logan. Maybe she had the feelings way before she acted on them.

She sighed. She wished she hadn't acted on them. Maybe if she and Logan hadn't had sex, she wouldn't have been so hurt by his behavior. And maybe then she would have been able to forgive him.

She shook her head and when asked, she helped a neighbor with bags.

Afterwards, she got to her own apartment, greeted Backup, and took him to the dog beach. Everyone needed fun, especially pit bull terriers that had been cooped up in an apartment for most of the day.

When she and Wallace saw each other, he waved. She hesitated but waved back as an idea came to her. One that would help Wallace and hopefully get Logan to leave her alone.

Veronica's day got even more interesting as she started finalizing her plans. It seemed Celeste Kane was at Mars Investigations.

For some reason, one that Veronica never found out, Celeste had a deep-seated hatred for Veronica. It wasn't like Veronica had been a bad influence on Lilly. If anything, it was the other way around with Lilly doing the corrupting, but Celeste had never made her hatred a secret.

Veronica couldn't help wondering why the almighty Celeste was coming to little ole Private Investigator Keith.

Veronica made some small talk with Cliff when he came into the office, not giving anything away about how much she helped her dad, but he still obviously knew the truth.

And then after Cliff left Veronica witnessed some interaction between Celeste and her dad and later on, they talked about Celeste's suspicions about Jake's extracurricular activities. Then he got a call about a bail jumper and made Veronica promise not to do anything on the Kane case. Although they both know she wouldn't listen, so he warned her to take Backup with her.

At her first opportunity, she followed Jake to Camelot Motel where he knocked on the door and was let into room 6.

She observed the room when the sounds of motorcycles soon filled the air. "This can't be good."

Weevil gestured for her to roll down the window. "Car trouble?" he smirked.

Veronica smirked right back. "Yes, but I doubt you know enough to be able to help me, but you can try looking under the hood anyways."

Weevil didn't seem too impressed. "Your little rich boy isn't here to protect you, so I'd watch my mouth if I was you."

Another biker approached the car. "Weevil, who gets the fir—"

Backup jumped out of the window of the backseat of the car, biting down onto the biker's arm and bringing him down.

"Get him off of me! Get him off me! Get him off me!

The biker that threatened her at lunch came around the front of the car. "Girl, you best call off your dog."

Veronica tasered him in the center of his chest and he went down. "I don't need Logan, or anyone else, to fight my battles." She turned to Backup. "Backup! Chill!"

Backup followed her command and lets go of the biker.

She looked at Weevil. "How about we consider this a draw?"

Weevil seemed unmoved. "Baby, come on, it's too late for that."

Veronica licked her bottom lip. Now it was time for the first phase of her plan. "Here's the deal. Leave that kid at school alone for a week and I'll make sure your boys walk."

"Why do you care about him so much?"

"Call it intuition, but I think Wallace is someone I want to keep around for the foreseeable future. So, we have a deal?"

Weevil stared at her hard. "Fine. Deal. One week." He couldn't handle one last parting remark. "You get lonely out here, remember, Weevil love you long time."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "You are so not my type."

Weevil smirked. "I guess you and Lilly are very different then."

With that confusing comment, he and the rest of the bikers left her. "Lilly?" she questioned out loud, but of course there was no answer.

She could decode Weevil's cryptic message later, but first, there was business she needed to finish up. When Jake left the motel room, he turned back to have a few last words with its occupant. He got pictures of a woman's hand on the door, but that was all that could be seen from where Veronica was.

The next day, Veronica was forced to deal with Logan's constant presence. He was always at her side, constantly annoying her.

Fed up, she finally faced him. "Why can't you just give me some peace? Please? Go back to your 09'er friends. That's where you belong anyways."

"I belong with you," he argued.

She rolled her eyes and left him standing there, mouth gaping open.

She didn't notice Duncan standing a bit down the hall, and she certainly didn't notice the way he looked between her and Logan, a frown on his face.

At lunch, Veronica headed for her usual table where Wallace was already sitting. As she took her seat, she looked up to see Logan coming her way. Like always. And then the unimaginable happened. Duncan quickly intervened and forced Logan to the 09'er table.

She would like to think Duncan was trying to help her, but for some reason, she was pretty sure her ex-boyfriend had an ulterior motive when it came to keeping Logan away.

She tried to ignore the unsettled feeling in her stomach at the fact that she would be eating lunch without Logan for the first time in a long while.

"Girl, you okay?"

She shook her head, trying to shake off her discomfort. "Fine." She leaned forward and whispered, "Ready to hear my plan to get the PCH Bike Club off your ass?"

Wallace eagerly nodded, making Veronica laughed.

Veronica got to work on the next phases of her master plan.

And when her dad came home that night, they had a nice dinner of steaks on the barbeque since he was paid for nailing the bail jumper.

She told him about Jake and the Camelot hussy and showed him the pictures of the license plates that she took.

Her dad seemed upset by them and announced he was dropping the case, and she was to stay away from Jake. No matter how much Veronica begged, he wouldn't tell what the problem was.

All she knew from his mannerisms was that it had something to do with the license plates.

The next day, Veronica and Wallace watched as Logan's locker was searched. In it, a bong was found.

"What's this, Logan?" Vice Principal Clemmons asked. He continued without waiting for a reply, "This would appear to be a device they use to smoke marijuana."

Sacks added, "That's exactly what it looks like."

Clemmons gestured forward. "To my office. Come on."

Logan looked around and spotted Veronica. " _You_ did this. How could you!?"

Veronica arched her eyebrows and shrugged. She mouthed, 'Who me?'

Logan glared at her as he was pushed towards Clemmons' office. "I won't forgive you for this," he threatened.

She swallowed.

"Yo, Veronica, you sure this isn't going too far? I mean, weren't you guys friends?"

She tried to stomp down on the guilt that wanted to bubble up within her. Logan deserved whatever he got, right? "Once upon a time, but not anymore."

"Still..." Wallace trailed off.

She looked at Wallace. "Don't worry about it. Logan is a 09'er. He'll barely have a slap on the wrist for this."

The rest of the plan went off without a hitch and Veronica soon had the tape. Feeling pretty good, Veronica decided to look into the license plate matter and with a little lying, she found out the car was registered to Lianne Mars, her mom.

Veronica tried again to get her dad to be honest, but he still refused to tell her the truth about her _mom_.

Things were a bit of a blur for a while, but she did get to see Lamb make a fool of herself. That was always a lot of fun.

She then went to the beach to see Wallace and handed him the video that was sealed in an envelope. "Got a present for you."

Wallace opened the envelope and sighed in relief when he saw it. "I owe you big time."

Veronica shrugged. "I had my own reasons for doing it, trust me."

"Was one of those reasons to hurt me?" a voice yelled from behind her.

Veronica quickly turned around and faced Logan. "Maybe. Now do you get it? I want you out of my life, and I'll do anything I have to in order to get you to leave me alone."

Logan laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I can see that now. You know, over the summer when you told me you changed, I of course saw the change, a least in terms of your looks. But I still thought you were Veronica in the most important ways. There was your kindness, your good heart, you sincerity, you compassion. Those were the things about Veronica that I loved, and if you still had those qualities, I couldn't see my feelings for you changing all that much." He shook his head. "You showed me today, though, that you aren't that Veronica. Not only did your looks changed, but you became a coldhearted bitch as well. The Veronica I remember would never have done that to me. In fact, she was one of my biggest supporters. But you know what? You got your wish. I'm out of your life, and if I ever talk to you again, it'll be too soon."

Veronica watched as he turned and walked away. She knew she should be happy—she finally got what she wanted—but why was there a sinking feeling in her stomach?

"Veronica? You okay?" Wallace asked.

Before she could answer, or lie as the case might be, another voice piped up, "Trouble in paradise?"

Veronica closed her eyes, telling herself to not cry. She would never cry over Logan Echolls again. "What do you want, Weevil?"

He smirked. "So that, uh, surveillance tape just… poof?

Veronica tried to smile. "That's fortunate, but you should apologize to Wallace."

Weevil looked at her like he was nuts. "No."

Veronica shrugged. "Have it your way, but he has the only copy of the Sac-N-Pac video. Wallace, let's go decide what to do with it."

Weevil's eyes widened. "Okay. Wait, wait, wait, look, look. I'm sorry man, umm, for, you know, taping you to the... the flagpole, I'm sorry."

Wallace smiled. "All right."

"Can I have the tape back now?"

Wallace shook his head and smiled even wider. "Nope."

Veronica laughed, even though it sounded a bit forced. She and Wallace got in her car as Weevil looked on. Thankfully, Wallace decided to not ask her about Logan's monologue and how she felt. Logan was the last thing she wanted to think about right then.

So, instead, she threw herself into trying to find out more about her mom and Jake's relationship. She never realized what she caused to happen to Logan by her framing him.

* * *

Logan winced as he took off his shirt. The bruises were fresh, and he knew they'd be visible for a while. There wouldn't be any shirtless days by the pool or at the beach any day soon. That was for sure.

He didn't look at himself in the mirror. He had already seen his skin black and blue enough times to last a lifetime.

Instead, he thought about Veronica.

He knew in his heart that if she had known what she was subjecting him to, she wouldn't have planted the bong in his locker. No matter how much she might hate him, she wouldn't ever do anything that would make his father's treatment of him worse.

Veronica didn't know the truth about his family life, though. She was so much more innocent, and he wanted to shield her from the harsh reality of the Echolls' home.

Still, he couldn't let go of his anger, especially not when he had had marks from being punched in the stomach by his much larger father and whip marks on his back from a leather belt.

He didn't know if he could keep to his promise to never talk to her again, though. Veronica Mars was like the sun, and he was pretty sure he was stuck in her gravitational force.

He'd sure try to avoid her, but he didn't see it as something he'd be able to do forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to figure out how to rewrite the season without writing the same thing that happened in the show for certain scenes. It's kind of difficult for me to do that.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait.

Veronica opened her locker door. She tried to not think about what she had seen this morning as she walked up to the main door that led into the school building.

It wasn't any of her business.

 _'Who cares if Caitlin was flirting with Logan? If Logan wants that slut, he can have her_.'

She closed her eyes. Even she didn't believe her own words. It had been nearly a week since their confrontation by the beach and no matter what he had said, she hadn't believe he really meant it. She didn't think he'd actually be done with her because Logan very rarely gave up when he wanted someone or something.

He hadn't approached her again, and if she walked towards him or near him, he turned his back on her and acted as if he didn't see her.

The pain always came hard and fast, but she knew she deserved it. Logan was always in trouble, though, and she didn't think getting in trouble over a planted bong would bother him that much.

 _'Have I really changed that much? Am I the coldhearted bitch that he accused me of being?'_ She knew she changed. A girl's best friend dying would do that, and then there was her exile from the 09'ers. Still, she liked to believe she was still the compassionate and forgiving girl she had been before Lilly's death.

She stared unseeingly into her locker. _'Forgiving? Who am I fooling? Logan did everything he could to get me to forgive him and I pretty much spat in his face._

And now, he wanted nothing to do with her. It was Veronica's own fault, but that didn't change the fact that she wanted to grab Caitlin's fake blonde hair and rip it out of the bimbo's scalp. Painfully slow of course.

"Hello?" a voice called, jolting her out of her musings.

Veronica looked to her left. "Wallace?"

"I've called your name like five times. Where have you been?"

"Just thinking," she murmured.

"I can tell. Want to share with the class?" he asked with a waggle of an eyebrow.

Veronica opened her mouth to respond, but it snapped shut when she saw Logan and Duncan walking down the hallway. Caitlin clung to Logan's arm like a leech and indignant fury once again rose within her.

She averted her eyes. It would do her no good if Logan knew she was jealous.

Wallace looked where she had looked. "Oh. So, have you talked to Echolls at all?"

"No, and I don't want to talk about it with you."

"Okay, okay."

They were silent for a moment.

Veronica took a steadying breath. "So, what's up? I'm assuming you came over to me for a reason."

"Yeah, I was just wondering if you had any plans for tonight. You know? With it being Friday night and all?"

"I'm thinking about taking Backup for run, and then maybe I'll catch a movie. Why?"

"Wow, that's kind of boring. How about we do this instead?" He took something out of his pocket as she closed her locker.

She took the pink sheet of paper from him and read it. "You want to crash an 09'er party?" And since Wallace wasn't native to Neptune, she had to explain what an 09'er was and how their parties worked. And of course, how to understand the code of the flyer.

"So, how about it Mars? Are you up for it?"

Veronica wanted to say no, just on principle, but she knew Logan would be there. And frankly, being able to see him kind of appealed to her. Even if he _was_ done with her.

And there might be a way for her to fix things before she lost him to that heinous bitch. Still, it wouldn't do her any good to give into Wallace so easily. He would most likely figure out her reasoning for wanting to go, and then he'd have ammunition to use against her.

She smirked. "Maybe. Convince me to go."

~

Logan would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the look on Veronica's face when she arrived at dog beach and saw Caitlin pressing herself against him.

He wasn't dating the bleach blonde wannabe, and in fact, he did tell her to find someone else to hump so desperately, but that didn't mean he couldn't use Caitlin's persistence to work for him.

If Veronica was so set against anything happening between them, then fine. She better get used to seeing him with other girls, though.

And with the way her eye was twitching as her hands curled into fists at her sides, she didn't like it one little bit.

When Veronica caught him staring, she turned and began speaking with the other kid she had begun hanging out with at school.

Logan watched her; he couldn't help himself. He knew he should steer clear of her, just give up, but Veronica was hard to ignore. Even if she _was_ bad for his heath.

Suddenly, his fantasy of walking over to Veronica, pulling her into a kiss, and pushing her down onto the sand to have his with her was interrupted by Duncan and some other guy, who Duncan introduced as Troy.

Logan nodded, but his gaze kept drifting back to Veronica.

Caitlin obviously noticed it because she stomped off in a huff.

And then there are motorcycles, and Logan and Weevil faced off.

Veronica watched, her hand in her bag, and Logan just knew she had her taser ready in case trouble started.

And then there were police sirens, and he wasn't sure why he did it, but in the commotion, before Veronica could escape with everyone else, Logan grabbed her arm and pulled her.

The black kid (he had to learn the kid's name) watched, but he didn't interfere. There was just a look of warning in his eyes.

Veronica fought him. "I will taser you," she threatened.

"No you won't," he volleyed back. He didn't believe that one hundred percent, but he at least _hoped_ she wouldn't.

They got in his yellow monstrosity, and Veronica stopped fighting. She simply crossed her arms and stared out of the window.

When he drove out of the parking lot, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes and could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

He stayed silent, waiting.

It would only be a matter of time before she couldn't help herself.

And just like he knew...

"You know, ditching your girlfriend for another girl makes you a very bad boyfriend."

"Caitlin isn't my girlfriend. Although, she _wishes_ she was. Just can't seem to shake her, and me telling her I liked real blondes doesn't seem to faze her."

"You sure didn't seem to mind her pressed against you."

He rolled his eyes. "One: I've pushed her away more times than I didn't. Two: I can ignore her pretty easily, and I'm hoping that makes her see that I'm not just playing hard to get or coy. And three: is it so bad to admit that you might be jealous?"

Veronica kept staring out of the window. "Guys don't usually play hard to get or coy. That's a girl's thing."

"You're just going to ignore the third point, aren't you?"

"I have no right to be jealous."

Logan nodded. "You don't, and I'm glad to hear you admitting that. I was ready for you to blame me for your jealousy."

She finally looked at him as he pulled into the parking lot in front of her apartment complex. "I do that a lot, don't I?"

He shrugged. "Everything bad that happens to you seems to be my fault. Or at least in your mind. And I admit, some of the bad things did start with me. But not everything."

"Sorry," she muttered.

He took her hand. "So, what are we going to do about your jealousy?"

"I thought you were done with me? Why are you holding my hand?"

He laughed bitterly. "Believe me, I wish I could be done with you, but I seem to have trouble quitting you. You're like a drug, and I'm addicted."

"Addiction isn't a good thing," Veronica sadly whispered.

With the parents they had, they both knew that better than anyone. "I know, but I can't seem to go cold turkey where you're concerned."

Veronica leaned forward and kissed him. It was a gentle caress, and Logan didn't try to deepen it. He allowed her to take the lead and simply closed his eyes and enjoyed something he never thought he would get to experience again.

When Veronica ended it, her eyes were wide. She blindly reached for the door handle while still staring at him, and when it was open, she jumped out and fled to the safety of her apartment.

And Logan was left wondering if letting the kiss happen was a mistake. _'Did everything just become ten times worse?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn't all of episode 2. It's only the beginning, but it's already almost 1500, so I decided to stop here so I could get it posted tonight. I'm going to do my best to update twice a month (every other Sunday)
> 
> They weren't supposed to kiss against so soon, but as I was writing, this was what came. I've learned to not fight where the muse leads me. Bad things happen when I try to fight it.
> 
> I hope you like it, and once again, I'm sorry for the wait.


	10. Chapter 10

Logan watched her. He knew he should approach her, but Veronica was the one that ran away after the kiss. Shouldn't she be the one to make the next move?

Then again, if history repeated itself, Veronica would keep running away until she was forced to face the truth. That was what Veronica did. She ran when she was scared. She was the very definition of that Newton law he learned about in science.

What was it again? An object in motion stayed in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. Or something like that. Well, if Veronica was the object, then Logan was the unbalanced force, and he would have to stop her from running away from him. From _them_.

Across the quad, Veronica finally met his gaze. There was steel determination in her eyes.

He swallowed, wondering what that could mean for him. It couldn't possibly be good. Logan forced himself to not straighten when she marched over to him.

"You know Mrs. Narvarro isn't guilty of credit card theft, don't you?"

Logan shrugged. "I didn't have her arrested."

"Really? So you don't have a problem with the whole Narvarro family?"

"I have a problem with Weevil. I've actually always kind of liked Mrs. Narvarro and wouldn't have set the cops on her. You _know_ how nice she has always been to me. You _know_ I have a soft spot for her. Why would I send the cops after her? All I know is someone took the credit card and charged it and it's connected to her name. I don't know anything more than that."

Veronica searched his gaze. "I'm going to find out the truth behind this whole thing."

Logan grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, uncaring of all of the eyes focused on the two of them. "I hope you do, and I kind of hope it _is_ Weevil setting up his poor grandmother."

She rolled her eyes and yanked her hand out of Logan's grasp. "Bye."

She turned her back on him, but his voice stopped her in her tracks. "You know we're going to have to talk, right? I'm not going to let you pretend the kiss didn't happen."

She still faced away from him, but she answered, "Fine, but not until _after_ I know the truth behind the credit card."

Logan nodded even though she couldn't see it. That was fair. He could wait because knowing Veronica like he did, the case would be solved within a week.

And then they could talk about the two of them and the possibilities Logan was sure were open now.

* * *

Veronica smiled happily. Wallace would get her Weevil's attendance records for her, and hopefully that would prove there was no way he could have used the stolen credit card to make the purchases. Hopefully. Because despite Logan's wishes, Veronica didn't want Weevil to be guilty. It wasn't a bad idea to have the leader of a biker gang on her side when she needed help, and she really wanted to keep that ally.

She walked into the journalism classroom. Part of her was happy to be assigned to journalism because she enjoyed photography, and it would be nice to take pictures of things other than cheating husbands or wives. It might even be fun.

When Veronica was noticed by Ms. Dent, she introduced herself to the teacher. When Caitlin interrupted about the student poll, Veronica listened with half an ear and did her best to not openly mock the dim-witted blonde.

"I was hoping I could maybe take pictures," Veronica said when Caitlin was gone. Then she proceeded to wow Ms. Dent with her camera experience.

Ms. Dent smiled at Veronica's enthusiasm. "I have your first assignment. Are you free after school tomorrow?"

Veronica shrugged. "I guess."

Ms. Dent nodded. "We're doing a feature on Bodie Chang. You know him?"

Veronica nodded. "Surfer. Up until 20 minutes ago, I was in study hall with him."

"That's the guy. So he's winning all these competitions. He's got another one up at Gold Coast. Let me introduce you to the guy who's doing the story."

Ms. Dent led her to the end of the classroom, to another of the cubicles. She leaned over the partition. "Duncan Kane, this is Veronica."

Veronica's eyes widened and she noticed Logan next to him.

Logan glared, obviously unhappy with what he knew was about to happen.

And just like Logan suspected, Ms. Dent continued, "Veronica's going to be taking pictures tomorrow and I arranged for you to ride with Bodie's parents."

"No, I'll drive," Duncan opposed.

Ms. Dent smiled. "Great, maybe Veronica can—"

"I can drive to," Veronica quickly put in. She did not want to be stuck in a car alone with Duncan.

Logan turned his back on the three of them and with the way his shoulders were hunched, she knew he was going in defensive mode.

That couldn't be good.

He couldn't actually blame her for being paired with Duncan, could he? It was a school assignment. How could this possibly be Veronica's fault?

And he didn't think she _wanted_ to work with Duncan, right? Whatever she had once felt for her former boyfriend was gone. Logan knew that, right? He had to know that. He couldn't think she still had feelings for Duncan. He just couldn't.

Ms. Dent looked at them oddly. "Okay. Oil crisis be damned.""

Veronica looked towards the doorway and saw Wallace standing there. He held up the attendance records.

At lunch, Veronica went through the records. She knew that half of the purchases were online orders. There were some made on school days, and they were made during fourth period. And during fourth period, Weevil had Auto Shop. So how could you make online orders?

That gave her a place to start at least, and she did her best to ignore Wallace's snarkiness about helping a guy that duck-taped him to a flagpole.

A hand on the table startled the two of them. Veronica looked up and somehow, she wasn't all that surprised to see Logan.

Veronica started before Logan could. "If you're here to tell me that you don't like the idea of me working with Duncan, don't even bother. I didn't ask to be put on the assignment with him, but since I have, I'm going to do it and do the best job I can. And nothing, especially your jealousy, is going to stop me."

Logan's eyes narrowed. "I guess you're hoping to get your fairytale reunion, huh? Why am I not surprised? Well, don't mind me. Maybe I'll go see if _Caitlin_ is still available."

Veronica shuddered as something in her stomach flipped unpleasantly at the very idea of him going to Caitlin. She watched him walk away and was left wondering if they'd ever get this relationship thing right.

"Veronica, you okay?" Wallace tentatively asked.

She shook her head to dispel the bad thoughts. "Fine. I have work to do, and I can't worry about Logan and what he might do with that skank."

She turned her attention back to the papers in front of her. She knew there was no internet connection in Auto Shop. And there was no way for him to slip out unnoticed seven times without getting caught.

So, if Weevil didn't do it, who was the culprit?

That was the million dollar question.

It didn't matter though because after school, she found out the Mrs. Narvarro was released because Weevil confessed to the crime.

* * *

The next day, Logan was still angry at the thought of her and Duncan spending any type of quality time together.

So, while Veronica sat at a computer, Logan lounged next to Caitlin and talked loudly to her, hoping to get a rise out of the blonde he was actually interested in. "No, seriously, how difficult is it to find good help these days?"

Caitlin giggled and Logan found it grating on his nerves, but he still forced a smile as she answered, "What are you going to do about your housekeeper situation?"

Logan shrugged. "We had to let her go. If you can't trust your domestics, you don't feel safe in your own home."

Caitlin laid a fake sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I won't miss her. She was totally rude to me every time I was over there."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Veronica stiffen at that. Caitlin might have been to the mansion, but it was always in a group and no matter how many times she pushed for it, he never allowed her to stay when everyone else left. Veronica didn't know that, and it pleased him that she thought the wrong thing, even if a tiny part of him felt guilty for hurting her.

Veronica wasn't going to stay quiet for long, though. "Did you guys know that 90% of all identity theft is committed by relatives of the victim? That's an interesting fact. At least I think so."

Caitlin glared. "But you know what? No one cares what you think Veronica Mars. Not anymore. Not since you stabbed all your friends in the back."

Veronica looked over her shoulder and glared. "You seem to care a bit about what I think."

Logan smirked meanly. "Tell the truth Veronica. Did you just sign up for newspaper so you could be around Duncan?" It might have come out mocking, but it was a serious question, one Logan desperately wanted the answer to.

Veronica sadly shook her head. "Logan, you know that's not true. Or at least I thought you did, but I guess I was wrong. Every time I think we get one step closer to fixing things, you do something that makes me reconsider everything I know, and we take two steps back. I'm not sure it's worth the back and forth anymore. It's just _so_ exhausting. Anyways, I had been thinking to make my fourth period government class because I wanted to spend time with you Logan, but I think I've changed my mind."

She faced the computer again, and not only was he confused, but Logan felt as if he had been splashed with a bucket of ice cold water.

Caitlin flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and whipped Logan in the face. "We've got computer lab fourth period."

Veronica nodded. "Good to know."

And Logan got it. The last part was about the Narvarro case, but the first part was pure truth. He really was a screw up. After all, he kept messing things up with Veronica. Every single time he had a chance, he did something that made Veronica question her sanity for giving it to him.

When would he ever learn?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't seem to get through episode 2 before the two weeks is up. And I'm making it longer because there's more LoVe interaction than in the actual episode. It doesn't help that I've been a bit in a writing slump the last two weeks and didn't feel like writing much of anything, not to mention I had deadlines for the HP fandom for competitions and challenges.
> 
> I'm going to try something new the next couple of weeks. I'm going to try to write 300 to 500 words a day on my next chapter until it's finished. And hopefully, that will be enough to finish it before I'm scheduled to post. Hopefully.


	11. Chapter 11

Veronica felt guilty for even thinking Logan might have been the guilty party, especially since she was aware of his soft feelings for Weevil's grandmother, but she was glad he was proven innocent by his browser history in his fourth period computer lab class.

When she told Wallace, he raised his eyebrows. "You know that expecting him of setting up Weevil's grandmother isn't a good way to fix things with him, right?"

Veronica did her best to not roll her eyes. "Who said I _want_ to fix things?"

"Girl, really?" At his incredulous tone, she met Wallace's eyes. "I might have not known you that long, but only people blind wouldn't be able to see what's between the two of you. Why are you still fighting it?"

"He was a jerk to me."

"Because he was jealous. Granted, I don't know the history between the two of you and Kane, but I have a feeling you would lash out if you were jealous too."

As if to prove his point, vapid giggling could be heard, and their eyes turned to Caitlin and Logan. He sat on top of the 09'er table, and Caitlin leaned into him.

She squeezed the papers between tight fists, pretending it was Caitlin's stupid neck she was squeezing instead.

"See? Jealous," Wallace mocked. "And you know he's only catering to Caitlin to get a rise out of you. He probably wants you to know what it feels like to be jealous."

"He's an asshole," Veronica muttered angrily.

"And you can sometimes be a bitch," Wallace easily replied.

Veronica looked at him in outrage. "Wallace!" She couldn't believe he actually had the nerve to call her a bitch.

Wallace carelessly shrugged. "Well, you can be. It's a fact. Frankly, I think you and Logan are a match made in heaven because you both care about each other despite those two things. And I kind of think you _like_ fighting with him. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned you on."

Veronica blushed, giving away the truth of Wallace's knowing statement.

"Aha, I was right," he smugly joked.

Veronica looked back down at the papers she was holding. "Wait a minute. He visited the Neptune Grand Hotel website. He didn't make any reservations, but there's a charge on the credit card for the honeymoon suite. Why was he at a hotel?"

"And the important question, at least to you, is who was he with, right?" Wallace asked.

Veronica didn't answer; instead, she glared at the 09'er table, and at Logan in particular.

The insufferable jerk looked back at her with raised eyebrows, a challenge in his eyes.

* * *

When Veronica reached her LeBaron, she wanted to groan in frustration at the flat tire. Logan walked up behind her. "Bummer."

"Go away," she ordered. She grabbed a tool from the back and was disgusted to see Logan still there. "Yes?" she impatiently asked.

"Want some help?"

She scoffed as she turned her back on him. "What do you know about dealing with a flat tire?" she asked.

Silence.

"Exactly. I'm sure you never fixed a tire in your life."

"I can probably still help though," he muttered.

She didn't dignify that with a response as she tried to loosen the nuts when another guy approached them.

"Troy," Logan impassively intoned.

Veronica found the quality of Logan's voice interesting enough that she tore her gaze away from her tire to stand up and look behind her at the two men who seemed to be in a pissing contest, or at least a one-sided pissing contest from Logan's point of view..

The guy—Logan had called him Troy—looked at her. "Flat?"

Veronica smirked. "Just as God made me."

Troy crouched down to stare at the tire. "Are you always this persnickety?"

As if he was tired of being ignored, Logan interjected himself between them, actually stepping in the middle. "I've known Veronica for years, and persnickety might as well be her middle name."

She raised her eyebrows, wondering at his attitude to a guy she thought was a fellow 09'er. And why did Troy care if Logan had known her for years?

She shook her head and stared at Troy. "I'm supposed to be taking surf competition photos in Gold Coast in thirty minutes and…this is my second mysterious flat since school started."

Troy looked at her with a smile she was sure some girls found charming. Too bad, she was completely in like with a certain egotistical asshole already. He stood up and acting as if Logan wasn't there, he stared into her eyes. "Let me help you." He took the tool from her.. "I'm Troy, by the way."

Veronica shot a glance and Logan and it was easy to read his unhappiness with the whole exchange. She decided to be as honest as possible, and maybe that would appease Logan a little bit. She forced a smile on her face. "I'm Veronica. And, I'm not interested. You being a proper good citizen won't change my disinterest either. Just so you know."

Logan's eyes widened.

Veronica sent him a meaningful look.

And Troy might as well have disappeared. "Okay," Troy stated slowly. "I can still help, though, if you want. I mean, you have that surf contest to get to, right?"

Veronica opened her mouth but was interrupted by Caitlin arriving on a pink scooter. She stopped right by Logan.

She looked at him flirtatiously, and Veronica forcibly stopped herself from reaching over to yank all of that fake blonde hair out of her head. "Hey."

"Nice ride," Logan commented.

She giggled, and Veronica cringed.

Logan looked back at Veronica and tried to send her a message with his eyes. It said 'Sorry that I'm a jealous asshole, and she means nothing to me.'

Veronica wanted to believe it, but she was scared to once again put herself out there. Guys said girls played tricks and teased, but Logan kept going hot and cold with her, and it was dizzying, and not in a positive life-affirming way.

Caitlin looked at Troy and Veronica, as if noticing for the first time that the world didn't consist of only her and Logan. "What are you staring at, Mars?" she snapped.

Veronica smiled frozenly. "Nothing much."

It was a good thing Caitlin didn't have heat vision.

Logan turned his body away from Caitlin and faced Veronica, subtly telling the bleach blonde that she could leave now.

Duncan approached them.

Logan sighed. "Great. Now it's a party," he angrily muttered.

Duncan smiled at Veronica. "Hey, Veronica, you need a ride? If we don't go now, we'll miss it."

Veronica looked indecisive. "Um..."

"Go ahead. I'll finish this up and throw the tools in the trunk," Troy encouraged.

Veronica met Logan's eyes. "I was actually hoping Logan would drive me. If he didn't already have plans that is."

Duncan's face turned impassive. "I'm sure Logan has more important things to do., and _we're_ going to the same place."

"Logan?" Veronica asked.

She didn't say it, but he read the message clear as day. _'This is your chance. Take it._ He smiled at Duncan. "Nope. No plans for today. And I'll _love_ to be your chariot Ms. Mars."

Veronica laughed. She grabbed her stuff from the boot of her car, smiled and Troy and Duncan, and then followed Logan to his yellow monstrosity of a car.

* * *

Veronica was silent, so Logan decided to maybe change that. He said the first thing that came to his mind. "I know I'm an asshole."

"Well, I won't disagree with that," she sardonically replied.

"It's just..."

"Just what?" she asked.

Although he was focused on the road, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her looking at him. "Well, I guess we never really talked about what feelings you still had for Duncan, and I got jealous when I thought you wanted to spend time with him."

She looked away from him. "Did I give any indication that I _wanted_ to spend time with him? I didn't ask for the assignment; I was given it. And I haven't talked to Duncan in months."

"You haven't talked because it was his choice. I don't know how you would feel if he suddenly decided he wanted to spend time with you."

"And instead of simply asking how I'd feel about the idea, you came to your own conclusions."

"You jumped to conclusions about Caitlin," Logan retorted.

"Yeah, but you made me jump to conclusion with the way you were acting with her. I think you wanted me to jump to those conclusions; you liked the idea of me being jealous."

Logan didn't deny it. "Fine, we've already established I'm an asshole, but I'm sick of being jerked around."

"I'm not the only one doing the jerking."

Logan nodded because he knew that was fair. "So, when do we stop jerking each other and just be together?"

Veronica was silent for a few moments, and he didn't think he would get an answer. And that was why he was surprised when Veronica spoke again. He was even more surprised by what she had to say. "If you want to stop jerking you around, answer me this. Why were you at the Neptune Grand and who were you with?"

"I wasn't at the Neptune Grand."

"Don't lie to me," she furiously stated.

"I'm not lying," Logan passionately argued.

Veronica turned in her seat and when they stopped at a red light, Logan looked at her. "Really? Because you visited the website and there was charge on the credit card for the honeymoon suite."

"I told you I don't have the card, and I'm not lying. If I go to the Neptune Grand with _anyone_ , I want it to be with you."

Veronica looked into his eyes, and he hoped she didn't see any deceit. Logan might be a master at deceit, but there was no reason for him to lie, but if anything could ever work between them, she needed to be able to trust Logan. But this new Veronica didn't trust easily, making him wonder if trying to earn her trust was a fool's errand.

Suddenly, there was a honk of a horn behind them, alerting them that the traffic light was green, and Logan quickly turned back to the steering wheel and continued driving.

Hopefully, Veronica would think about everything he said. He didn't know what else he could say or do to prove his feelings for the fiery blonde.

He almost didn't notice Weevil cleaning up the side of the road, but he didn't care. It wasn't his problem.

When they get to the beach, Logan asked, "How are you getting home?"

"I actually hadn't thought about that," she sheepishly admitted.

"I'm sure Duncan would give you a ride if you asked him," Logan put out, trying to keep the bitterness out of his tone.

Veronica shrewdly looked at him. "Maybe, but I would rather spend more time with you. Unless you have something else to do and can't."

Logan leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. When he pulled back, he had a soft smile on his face as his heart fluttered at the sight of her glazed eyes. "Even if I had plans, I'd cancel them without a second's thought to take you home."

She smiled as a light blush stained her cheeks, and he knew he said the right thing. For once.

Veronica took pictures while Duncan took notes as he interviewed a surfer. When they finished, Duncan opened his mouth, probably to invite Veronica to his car for a ride home, but he snapped it shut when Logan walked up to her. "You ready to go?" he asked.

Duncan glared at the two of them, but Logan ignored it. He only had eyes for Veronica, and even if Duncan still loved her, he lost his chance when he started ignoring her for no reason whatsoever. They had been over for eternity by high school years, and Duncan shouldn't expect Veronica to stay alone.

Veronica nodded. She waved at Duncan and followed Logan to the car.

* * *

When they pulled up to her apartment building, Veronica turned in her seat to once again stare at Logan. "It's nice going through the majority of the afternoon without any real arguments."

"You still haven't told me if you believe me about the credit card and hotel room," Logan muttered, eyes fastened to the steering wheel.

Veronica thought about everything she knew of Logan. The old Logan, the one before Lilly's death, would have never purposely hurt her. And she liked to think that Logan was still there, buried underneath the harder Logan she gotten to know. Just like she knew, deep down, a softer more marshmallow Veronica Mars was being protected by a toughened outer shell.

And that was why she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I trust that you care about me, and if it really came down to it, you wouldn't lie to me if you knew it would hurt me. That's all I can give you, though."

She left the car and walked to her apartment. When she got inside, she rolled her eyes at the sight of her dad looking out of the window, and he wasn't even being coy about it. "So, you and Logan are hanging out again?"

Veronica shrugged. "On and off when we're not annoying each other. He drove me because I had to go somewhere for a journalism assignment, and I rather be in his car than Duncan's."

Keith nodded. "Okay." And he left it at that.

"So, Dad, I kind of need us to go the Neptune Grand. Like now."

Keith blinked. "What for?"

She smiled sweetly. "The Navarro case. I need a little help."

"It's solved, isn't it? I'm pretty sure the confessed criminal is in jail."

Veronica gave him a hard lock, the one that got her almost anything she wanted.

He sighed. "Oh, all right. Fine. What do you need me to do?"

Veronica and Keith went to his car and quickly drove to the hotel as she explained her plan. They pulled a little subterfuge with the poor receptionist, but they couldn't get any surveillance tape because too much time had passed. They did get a detailed bill summary, though.

Veronica's yes narrowed after she looked it over. The one who signed for room service in the room that was charged to the credit car was Caitlin. It made her doubt Logan's story all over again, but she forcibly stopped herself. He wouldn't lie to her about a relationship with Caitlin. Not when she was getting closer to giving them a real chance.

.The next day, in the journalism classroom, she made her way over to Logan. "Caitlin signed for room service in the hotel room that was paid for with the Echolls credit card," she announced without any preamble.

"Are you back to accusing me of being involved?" he asked cautiously.

Veronica shook her head. "No, but I thought you should be aware of it. She's been to your mansion before. Is there any way she could have gotten her hands on it without your knowledge?"

Logan looked at the desk. "I don't think so. When she's there, she's usually plastered to my side." He looked up fearfully.

Veronica knew her eyes were glinting with jealousy. "Really? Plastered to your side you say?"

"When she's there, she's always a part of a group, but that doesn't stop her from trying to hold my undivided attention. It never works, of course, but she still tries."

"Uh huh, so if she couldn't have taken the card, who did and is using it on her?"

"You're the detective. Isn't it your job to figure that out?"

Duncan came up to the two of them. "What are you two talking about?" he asked suspiciously.

"Work," Veronica easily answer, her eyes focused on Logan.

Duncan walked away with a huff when he realized he wasn't getting Veronica's attention away from Logan.

"I think DK is a little pissed off," Logan sarcastically joked.

"And I don't really care," Veronica disclosed.

And just like that, Logan let out a smile that Veronica found so beautiful and real. And it reminded her of one of the reasons why she liked the asshole so much.

At lunch the same day, Veronica and Wallace are talking when Troy comes up and sat down next to Veronica. "How's that spare tire holding out?"

Veronica forcibly smiled. "Aah. There it is: the quid pro quo."

Troy sent her a charming smile. "Hey, this great nation of ours was built on quid pro quo. I am having a party on Saturday and you should come. Well, both of you."

"Cool," Wallace acknowledged.

"But, especially you," Troy added.

Veronica looked at Logan who was staring at her table. She looked back at Troy. "Is Logan going to be there?" she finally asked.

Finally, Troy looked thrown off his game. "Um, I'm not sure."

"Well, my going depends on that answer. I already told you I wasn't interested in you, and that hasn't changed. And you should know that Logan has a pretty bad jealous streak. You really don't want to get on his bad side."

"So, you're not pretending to not feel for Logan anymore," Wallace surmised. "What the hell happened between the two of you yesterday that there's a complete 180 degree turn."

Veronica shrugged. "We talked."

"It's amazing what communication can do," Wallace proclaimed.

"Shut it, Fennel," Veronica ordered.

Troy didn't look happy when he left the table, but Veronica couldn't find it in herself to care, especially with the way Logan was looking at her right then from his own table.

Veronica stood up and announced, "I'm going to figure out what's going on with the credit card once and for all, so I can finally put the case behind me."

She went into the school building and found an empty classroom. She took out the credit card charge list to look it over and noticed seven telephone numbers.

She pulled out her own phone and dialed the first number, and it was movieline. She crossed the number off and then moved onto the next. It was Jesse Ford, Caitlin's mom. She ended the call and crossed that number off.

Veronica punched in the next number. "Hey," a rough male voice answered.

Veronica furrowed her brow. "Who's this?"

"You're calling me, so why don't you tell me?"

"The number was on my credit card bill, and I didn't recognize it," Veronica perkily explained.

"The name's Chardo."

Veronica hung up immediately. She knew the name. Weevil's cousin.

Later that day, when she saw Chardo in the hallway, she grabbed him and pushed him into the girl's bathroom.

"Watch it little girl," he warned.

Veronica wasn't playing any games. Since she found out it was Chardo behind the credit card fraud, she already figured out what Caitlin's involvement was, and it sickened her that he would allowed his cousin and grandmother to take the blame for his actions. "Confess about the credit card. It's good for the soul."

And she listened to Chardo's _plan_. And the sad thing was that he believed Caitlin would actually run away with him, even if there were no more expensive gifts. He took the meaning of rose-tinted glasses to a whole new level.

Veronica thought about going to Logan with the news, but she decided Weevil and Mrs. Narvarro were the ones that really had to know.

Veronica sat down with Mrs. Narvarro later that day and listened to her explain why she was allowing Weevil to take the blame for Chardo, even though she knew the truth.

Mrs. Narvarro's eyes were sad when she disclosed, "Eli is still seventeen. Chardo is eighteen, and he's got a record. They'd send him to prison. Weevil can do four months of juvie."

"Weevil thinks he's taking the fall for you," Veronica retorted, doing her best to keep the judgment out of her voice.

Mrs. Narvarro wasn't moved. "I have dinner to fix."

"I always liked you, ever since I became friends with Logan, but frankly, I'm wondering if I ever even knew you. The fact that you can sacrifice one grandson for another, that you're not making Chardo take responsibility for his actions..." She trailed off as she shook her head disbelievingly. "Do you even know what he's doing with those credit cards?"

Mrs. Narvarro didn't answer.

Veronica pulled out the list of credit card charges and walked over to Mrs. Narvarro. "He spent all that money, thousands of dollars, taking out a spoiled, rich, white girl. Caitlin Ford. I'm sure you met her at the Echolls' mansion. She's the girl that's always at Logan's side because she is dying to be his girlfriend even though he won't give her time of day."

That got the desired reaction out of Mrs. Narvarro. Maybe she would see how wrong the whole thing was now.

When Weevil was dropped off at home by a Sheriff's Department car, Veronica was still there. After he hugged his grandmother, he walked over to Veronica. "Veronica Mars, I hear you're to thank for this Kodak moment. Didn't you get the memo? The bad guy was already in jail. Gimme some love."

Veronica allowed the hug before Mrs. Narvarro walked between them, stating that she was going to make him something to eat.

Quietly, Veronica told Weevil, "You should know. The judge issued a warrant for Chardo after authorizing your release. They're out looking for him."

Weevil frowned. "Yeah, well. They won't be the only ones."

Veronica nodded. "Logan and the other 09'ers might care about Caitlin slumming it with Chardo, and they're definitely eject her from the crowd, but I'm pretty sure Chardo's going to be left to you and the PCHers."

Weevil nodded, a grim look on his face. "Good."

The next day, it was around school about Perfect Caitlin Ford and Biker trash, Chardo Narvarro. Veronica shook her head. Caitlin would be lucky if any of her old friends would even talk to her. Veronica knew from firsthand experience how flaky 09'er friendships could actually be.

Logan was waiting for her at the table she usually shared with Wallace for lunch. "Hey," she murmured shyly.

"Hey. Can I join you and your friend for lunch?"

She bit her bottom lip. "His name is Wallace. You should probably try to remember it."

Logan smirked. "Fine. Can I join you and Wallace for lunch?"

Wallace walked up to them. "What's up, Superfly? Echolls?"

Veronica smiled at the addition. "Logan wants to sit with us during lunch. What do you say, Fennel?"

Wallace gestured as he sat down. "Pull up a bench."

Instead of sitting next to Wallace, across from Veronica, Logan moved to the other side of the picnic table to sit next to Veronica.

She tried to not pay attention to the stares aimed at their table as they sat down. If Logan was going to be a part of her life, she would just have to get used to being the center of attention. And now she knew, more than anything, she really wanted Logan to be a part of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing a little bit each day seemed to work for me. Not only did I finally get through episode 2, but I was also ready to post six days early, and the chapter itself is almost 4k. Not bad at all.


	12. Chapter 12

Veronica was in the middle of hurrying into the school building when Troy ran up to her. "Hey, Veronica."

She rolled her eyes. "Troy, what may I do for you?" she asked with fake niceness.

Really, he was annoying her. Despite her telling him she wasn't interested, he was still pestering her, as if he could get her to change her mind.

"Well, I will be cruising the marina in my dad's Sabre 386. Wind through my hair, Strokes blasting through the speakers, and I hope, with any luck, you at my side."

"You just don't give up," she scoffed. "Logan and I are working really hard towards something, and I will not have you ruin it. And even if there was no Logan, I still wouldn't be interested in you. Find another target."

Troy glared at her and stomped away like a spoiled child that was denied his favorite toy. She shook her head as a student ran into her and knocked all of her stuff out of her arms and then he left without even apologizing.

"Thanks so much," she muttered sarcastically as she bent to pick up her stuff.

Another pair of hands joined her in helping, and she looked up into Duncan's eyes. _'Are these the eyes that I used to swoon over? Really? Because I just don't feel it anymore. I guess I really am over him. Good, and Logan will be happy to hear that as well.'_

He wore a somber expression as he stared at her with woeful eyes. "So, how are you doing?"

"Okay," she slowly answered.

"What's going on with you and Logan?" He asked, cutting to the chase.

Her eyes narrowed. "Whatever it is going on has nothing to do with you, but it's between Logan and me so butt out," she ordered

Duncan obviously didn't like her answer because he dropped her items that he had been picking up and stomped away.

"I seem to be making people stomp away in childish huffs today," she mused out loud.

"I can see that," an amused voice said behind her.

Veronica quickly gathered up her stuff and turned around to look at a smiling Logan. "Hey," she murmured.

"First Troy and now Duncan. I'm impressed."

"You've been standing there the whole time, huh?"

"Well, I always like seeing how you use your words to cut people down to shreds, especially when your snark isn't aimed at me."

"I'm sure it will be aimed at you before the day is over."

Logan nodded. "I'm sure too," he agreed with a smirk that made her want to grab him and kiss him so badly. She refrained, though, as they were out in public amongst gossipy teenagers that had nothing better to do than to speculate about her relationship with Logan.

Despite they way the day started, the rest of Veronica's day went smoother. She and Wallace hung out between classes and at lunch, Logan joined their table once again.

"So, Echolls, you going to be permentent fixture at our table?" Wallace asked, not unkindly, but with a curious tilt in his voice.

Logan looked at Veronica quickly. "I hope so."

It was a simple answer, but it said it all.

She did her best to not blush at such a simple sentiment. She hoped he'd be there for a good while too.

The day continued going well, all the way uintil dinner time.

That night, her dad told her about getting a call from the guidance counselor. She didn't know what it was about, but she did have a question for him.

"What do you think Mom was doing at the Camelot motel with Jake Kane two weeks ago?"

He tried to wave it away.

"Dad, she's my mom. I have a right to know. So far, you've refused to answer me, but you can't keep running away from it. She was only in Arizona, and you weren't looking for her. And now she's meeting Jake? There has to be a reason for it.

"Stay away from the case. Veronica! Please."

Veronica stared at her upset father and once again gave up. "How 'bout those Padres?" she weakly joked.

Keith collected his plate and wordlessly left.

When she got to her room, she called the first person that she thought of, and to be perfectly honest, it was the only person she really wanted to talk to.

"Hey, Veronica," he answered, and she heard the smile in his voice.

"Logan..." She trailed off; she suddenly didn't feel so sure about how much she should tell him.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She heard the worry in his voice, and she blurted everything out. "My mom is meeting Jake Kane in the Camelot motel. And I don't know why. Any my dad won't talk to me about it. And I just don't know what to do."

"I know you, Veronica. If your dad is withholding information, you're going to do everything you can to find out the truth."

"Why is that bad? She's my mom. I should know what's going on."

"I know, but Veronica, you may not like what you find out."

She thought about that, and she knew he was right. After all, the Camelot wasn't famous for its beautiful rooms. "I know, but I think it's better than the not knowing."

He sighed. "Then I'll do everything I can to help you; I just don't want you to regret it later on."

She smiled sadly. "Thanks, Logan."

* * *

Logan had been worried about Veronica after the previous night's phone conversation, so he was waiting for her in the school's parking lot the next day.

When she drove in and parked, he quickly strode over to her car and stood on the driver's side. "You okay?" he asked when she got out.

"It's sweet of you to worry, but I'm fine," she assured him. "I know you think I should leave whatever is going on with my mom alone, but I can't. Our family is broken, but maybe I can fix it."

"It's not up to you to fix your parents' problems," he tried.

Veronica stared at the ground. "Maybe, but I just want us to be a family again."

He knew he wouldn't be able to get through to her when her mind was made up so he gave up, at least for now. Instead, he pulled her into his arms for a loose embrace and felt gratified when she wrapped her arms around his torso.

"This feels nice," she mumbled into his shirt.

"It does," he agreed, and he knew that he never wanted to let her go.

That day, Veronica and Logan were near her locker talking. It felt so normal that Logan wanted to grin. He hadn't felt this great since before Lilly's death, and it was nice great to have a little piece of happiness.

His thoughts turned sour as he thought about Lilly. He wondered how she'd feel about his burgeoning relationship with Veronica. Would she be angry? Happy? Whatever her reaction would have been, Veronica didn't seem worried, and he wondered why.

Despite everything he said when he was trying to smear Veronica's name after Lilly's death when she sided with her dad, he knew how much Veronica had loved Lilly. And he didn't understand why she didn't seem to feel any guilt about this.

Maybe it was something he should ask her.

After all, they were trying to be more mature with how they dealt with each other, and maturity included communication.

He swallowed when Duncan stormed passed them, a glare on his face. Lately, it was either a glare or an indifferent face. Those were the only two facial expressions that Duncan seemed to have.

Veronica watched the Kane heir as well. "I don't get it. He broke up with me months ago and didn't even have the balls to do it like a man. Instead, he just ignored me until I got the hint. Why does he think he has any right to play the injured party where you and I are concerned?"

Logan shrugged. He always suspected Duncan still had feelings for Veronica, so he had no idea why the breakup happened, but their ending caused Logan's fortune to turn good as a new door, full of possibilities, opened for him, so he didn't want to question it _too_ heavily.

Later that day, Veronica told him about her new case involving some boy—she didn't tell him a name out of respect for said boy's privacy—and a missing father.

"Why bother trying to find some deadbeat dad who couldn't even be a man and stay?" she muttered angrily as they walked down the hall.

Logan raised an eyebrow at her cynical tone. "Really? This coming from the girl who wants to find her mom, a woman who definitely wouldn't win any Mother of the Year awards."

Veronica sighed. "Fine. I get it. Pot meet kettle, right?"

"Right."

"But John Smith, really? What kind of name is John Smith?" Veronica asked with a pout.

Logan smirked. "A common one, but I know you, and you'll crack the case no matter how unoriginal the name is."

* * *

Later that day, after school, Veronica sat at the desk in the main office of Mars Investigations, recording a message, while Wallace stuffed envelopes on the other side of the desk.

Keith walked in and waited while Veronica finished up. He and Wallace met, and Veronica felt great that she finally had a friend for her dad to meet. Maybe he'd get over her renewed whatever with Logan if he saw that Logan wasn't the only person in Veronica's life.

.She then proceeded to explain the case for Justin and went on another rant about the name 'John Smith.'

And when Keith disappeared into his office and shut the door, she asked Wallace to get her permanent file to see what the counselor told him.

Wallace rolled his eyes, but he was already used to Veronica's antics, so it didn't faze him much.

The next day, Veronica, Logan, and Wallace were exiting the school, the permanent file in Wallace's hand.

Logan's arm was around Veronica, and she leaned into his side.

Wallace opened the file and scanned it. "You called your geometry teacher a jackass?"

"That's my girl," Logan stated fondly.

Veronica blushed. "That's totally out of context .Let me see it." She reached for it, but Wallace held it up and away from her.

He continued to read it and got laughs from Logan as he read the compliments from teachers who had the more innocent Veronica Mars.

They sat at one of the lunch tables as Veronica tried to fend off their gentle teasing about a Veronica Mars that had long since died.

"You wrote your teacher a poem? How sweet," Wallace joked.

Logan raised his eyebrows. "I knew you were a little bit of a teacher's pet, but I didn't realize it was so dire. Maybe I shouldn't be talking to you. You might rub off on me."

Veronica glared at him. "Any influence I have on you has to be a _good_ influence. You can only benefit from my presence in your life."

Logan leaned closer to her. "You might be right."

Veronica leaned in, their lips only inches apart, when Justin comes up to them. Wallace quickly hid the file under his jacket, and Logan reluctantly backed away with a put upon sigh.

Justin frowned at Logan. "So, uh, any leads yet?"

Veronica blinked as she did her best to clear the Logan-induced fog from her head. "Um, we should know something by next week."

Justin nodded. "Oh, um, I've got something for you," he said, still looking at Logan with an unfriendly gaze. He dug into his bag and pulled out a CD. "I burned a few songs for you."

Veronica looked quickly at Logan. "Thanks, I guess."

Logan smirked. He didn't see Justin as much of a threat and pulled Veronica closer to his body. Veronica rested her head on Logan's shoulder, sending a message to him, as well as Troy that was looking at them from a distance.

Justin's stare became even more unfriendly."I just thought if you were on a stake out or something, you might need something to get you through the night. That's just the kind of guy _I_ am."

"You're also the kind of guy that hits on another guy's girlfriend, right in front of said guy as well. Real classy."

Justin didn't dignify that with a response as he walked away with a huff.

"So, you two are boyfriend and girlfriend now? Officially? Veronica's BFF would have liked to have been in the loop," Wallace exclaimed.

"Well, Veronica would have liked to have been in the loop as well," she said. "I didn't realize we had labeled us yet."

Logan carelessly shrugged. "Well, I've labeled us now. Especially if it keeps the guys wanting to get into your pants away from you."

"Aww, you're jealous. And I thought you saw Justin as a non-threat."

"Doesn't mean I want to watch him salivate over you, even if I know he doesn't stand a chance."

Veronica laughed. "You're lucky I think you're cute because I usually don't like the whole caveman routine." She turned back to Wallace. "Do me a favor? Get me his file."

That night, Logan and Veronica sat in his car, parked outside of a restaurant. Her dad was home that night, and she didn't want to be caught by him if they sat in front of the apartment complex.

There might have been talking involved, but there was a lot more kissing than anything.

Veronica breathed heavily as a hand cupped her left breast through her bra and shirt.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"Very okay," Veronica promised.

Their lips found each other's again. Veronica's hand went down to his jeans and pressed against the bulge there, but that was what snapped Logan out of it.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Now?" she gasped, her cheeks red and her pupils completely blown by her lust.

"It's just... Well... you don't seem to feel guilty about Lilly, and I would really like to know your secret because I kind of feel like my stomach is in knots about how she'd feel about this."

She blinked and realized he didn't know. Veronica backed away. "Well, before she died, Lilly talked to me. She knew there was something between us. And she gave me her blessing; she thought we'd be good for each other, and she encouraged me to tell you I cared for you. I never got the chance to follow her advice before she..." She forced the tears to not fall and shook her head, unable to complete that particular sentence. "...And then you were a jerk, so I decided Lilly obviously had no idea what she was talking about when she told me you cared about me."

"So Lilly wouldn't be angry?"

Veronica grinned. "Somewhere up there, she probably shouting, 'It's about damn time!'"

Logan returned the grin. "I think her language would be a bit more colorful."

"Maybe," Veronica conceded, and then she leaned closer to him, kissing him again, and he returned it.

All in all, it was one hot make out session that left her yearning for so much more touching and less clothes.

When Logan dropped her off, Veronica tried to sneak into the apartment, but her dad waited up for her.

"Have a good time with Logan?"

She tried to not look guilty about how good of a time she actually had. "It was great."

"Is there something more than friendship between the two of you?" he asked.

And she knew it wasn't the time to lie. "Yeah, there is," and she left him to go to her bedroom, where she hoped to go to sleep and fantasize about Logan's lips and hands. And abs. And feet. And pretty much every single one of his body parts.

The next day, Veronica was on cloud nine when Wallace came up to her in the hallway. With his help and Justin's permanent record file that he nabbed for her, she cracked the secret about Justin's odd behavior and absentee dad. And when she confronted him about his dead father at lunch, she didn't mince her words and made sure he knew he owed her $150 in postage.

She hated when someone wasted her time.

And then the unthinkable happened. Someone claimed to be Justin's father and was answering the scholarship letter she sent out.

The two of them looked at each other, speechless.

Logan and Veronica were in her bedroom after school, with the door opened on her dad's orders, when Justin came to talk to her.

Both of them went outside. Logan didn't trust the kid that obviously wanted Veronica, and he wasn't about to leave her alone with him.

Justin didn't even bother glaring at him before he launched into his plea to Veronica. His dad was alive and he wanted to find out the truth.

Veronica, understanding the urgency Justin was feeling, asked to see the letter. She'd work it out for Justin. He deserved some answers.

Logan left when Justin left, understanding that she needed to work the case.

And when her dad tried to talk about her mom leaving, Veronica shut him down like he shut her down so many times when she asked questions. She already figured out where her mom was staying, but she had no reason to tell him that.

Right then, she needed to focus on the case of Justin and John Smith.

That didn't mean she didn't engage in hot make out sessions with her boyfriend whenever she could at school. She no longer cared what gossipy 09'ers thought about her. All that mattered was what the people who cared about her thought, and that was a very small list: Logan, Wallace, and her dad.

And if someone didn't like her relationship with Logan, they could go screw themselves.

* * *

Logan was surprised when Veronica showed up at the mansion a couple of nights after she started looking into John Smith for real.

She wore a wide smile. "The case has been solved!" she triumphantly declared.

He allowed her in, thankful that his parents were out for the night. "Really? What reason did he have for disappearing on his kid?"

"Well, it's actually kind of unbelievable, but John became Julia."

Logan opened his mouth, and then it snapped shut. He opened it again. "Julia? As in a sex change?"

Veronica nodded. "Julia is actually someone Justin knows that comes into the video store that he works out. He was pretty upset about having a dad that chose to become a woman, but I made him see that his dad drove ninety miles every week just to see him for a few seconds, and that's something I wish my mom would do. I think I've made him think a bit about not being so hard on his dad for doing something he felt like he had to do in order to be happy."

"I'm proud of you," he said sincerely. They were silent for a few moments, staring at each other, and then he asked with clear invitation in his eyes, "Want to come in?"

They hadn't had sex since that one night, but it was all he wanted, and he was pretty sure Veronica wanted it as well. They both knew that if she walked in, there would be no going back. She nodded and allowed him to pull her into his arms.

They made their way to Logan's bedroom and fell down on the unmade bed. Hands and lips were everywhere, and Logan watched her face, and he knew the exact moment that her mind shut off as she gave into the pleasure of it all.

Afterwards, where the sweat was cooling on their intertwined bodies, she whispered, "I know where my mom is holed up, and I'm going to Arizona to talk to her."

Logan could have made a joke about her ruining the mood, but instead, he said, "You're not going alone."

Veronica, to her credit, didn't argue with him.

And the next day, after school, Logan was forced to watch Veronica be disappointed once again because Lianne had left two week previously. He took her in his arms.

"Why is it so hard to find her?" she whispered into his shirt, uncaring of what Adrianna, her mom's college friend, thought of her.

He wished he had reassuring words to say to her, but he didn't know how to make her feel better, so instead, he tightened his hold on her and hoped the hug would be enough.


	13. Chapter 13

Logan's lips trailed down Veronica's neck.

"I can get used to this," she breathlessly whispered as she turned her head, granting him better access.

His answer was to suckle on her pulse point.

She squeezed her legs together and remembered that they were parked in the lot in front of her apartment building. "We should get going. My dad is probably watching through his telescope, and he most likely has his gun cocked and ready."

He pulled away with a smirk. "If I die in the middle of making out with you, it would be the best way to go."

She pressed her hand against his cheek. "But I rather keep you around for a while longer. At least until I get bored with you, of course."

"Planning to trade me for a newer and shinier model?" he asked, but there wasn't any worry or concern in his voice.

She knew he didn't think she would, that it was a question asked in jest, but she still wanted to reassure him. "Not for avery long time."

He kissed her one last time on the lips before he reluctantly pulled away and got out of his truck. Veronica got out on her own side. They met in front of the truck, and she grabbed his hand as they walked up to her door.

"You know, maybe I should come in? If you and I are dating, maybe your dad should get used to seeing me around again?"

She arched her eyebrows. "Are you really ready to face him? Especially considering what we did back at your pool house?"

He chuckled. "Okay, I'm terrified of facing him, but he'll have to see me sooner or later."

She waited for him to come to the proper conclusion.

"Let's make it later," he finally said.

She nodded. "Good answer." She pressed her lips against his cheek for a quick peck. There was no reason to get hot and heavy when her dad could open the door any second.

"See you at school tomorrow?" she asked.

He backed away. "I was wondering if you thought about the homecoming dance and maybe going with me?"

Veronica looked briefly at the floor. When she went to Homecoming last year, it was as part of the Fab Four. "I don't know."

"I think Lilly would want us to go," he tried.

She met his eyes. "You're probably right, but I'm not sure I can."

"Will you at least think about it?"

She nodded and watched him turn around and walk back to his truck. When he was in, she faced her door and let herself into her apartment.

And there was her dad on the couch. "Good time with Logan?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Is he every going to come in?"

"When I don't think you'll shoot him, I'll invite him in."

"If he's your boyfriend, I have a right to get used to his presence, don't I?"

"Dad, I know you don't approve of my dating Logan, but it feels right. The last time anything has felt this right was when Lilly was alive. And before you say it, I'm not clinging to Logan _just because_ of his connection to Lilly. Things were happening between the two of us before Lilly's death, but they got put on hold. We managed to find our way back to each other, so don't try to ruin it for me."

"I just don't want you to get your heart broken," he quietly injected.

"I know, but you can't protect me from everything. I'm a big girl, and I care about Logan a lot."

He nodded. "And nothing I say will change that, will it?"

"Nothing," she agreed.

"Fine. His life is no longer in danger, so the next time he brings you home, I want him to come inside."

She nodded with a smile.

* * *

Logan was daydreaming during Journalism class. He was thinking about how absolutely hot Veronica would look in a dress at Homecoming, if only he could convince her to go. Last year, they didn't actually go to the dance, but his girl deserved a little slice of normal, so if he could convince her it was a good idea, there would be no limo party this year. Just the dance.

He was sure she'd have a good time, if only she would say yes.

He was ignoring everything around him until he heard a familiar name.

_Kicking off the homecoming festivities, the dedication of the Lilly Kane Memorial Fountain._

Logan looked at the television and noticed Veronica at the back of the classroom do the same. Their eyes met.

And he knew they were both thinking the same thing.

_'Lily Kane Memorial Fountain? When was this decided?'_

The television broadcast continued. _"_ The Kane family would like to invite all students and faculty to attend the tribute and celebrate the memory of one of Neptune High's most beloved students."

Veronica walked over to him, and their hands found each other, offering comfort to the other person as they remember the girl they both loved in different ways.

Later that day, he smiled at Veronica in the hallways as she passed with Wallace. She was on her phone, and he heard her 'Amber voice,' which meant it was for a case. He knew she was helping Wallace and a girl named Georgia, although he didn't know the specifics.

She was preoccupied, but she did manage a smile for him, although he easily read the tightness in her eyes. With them finding out about the Lilly Kane Memorial Fountain, convincing her to go to the dance might have actually gotten harder.

He wouldn't give up, though.

He and Duncan were kind of on the outs, especially since Logan was dating his ex-girlfriend, but somehow, he ended up agreeing to make a video tribute for the dedication ceremony. Duncan didn't seem to want to be bothered with it, and no matter how much he hated Logan right then, he had no problem handing over the duty.

Logan looked down at the tapes he now held. _'Maybe I can get Veronica to help me.'_

He was able to talk her into taking a bit of a break in her case to help him. The next night, they were at her apartment, using her laptop.

They went through the videos that Celeste provided.

"This is a joke," she announced.

"It's the Lilly Celeste wished she had. The prim and proper one."

"And totally phony," she added.

"There has to be something better than this," Logan said, but he knew that Celeste wouldn't have provided the type of video that they would actually want to use.

Veronica rested her head on Logan's shoulder. "We need a video that shows Lilly's true personality. The wild and fun-loving one. Maybe I have something in my collection.

Logan kissed her on the forehead. "Have you looked through those videos since before her death?"

"No, but maybe it's time."

Their eyes met, but the moment was interrupted by the door opening. They sprang apart and tried their best to not look guilty; after all, they really hadn't been doing anything that her dad would disapprove of.

"Kids, this is a surprise," Keith said. "Veronica, when I said I wanted Logan to come inside the next time he drove you home, I meant I wanted to be home as well."

She grinned. "Sorry, Dad, but we're actually working on a tribute video for Lilly."

His eyes softened. "Are you okay?"

"Despite the really bad videos Celeste provided, we're just peachy," she said.

Logan stood up. "Maybe I should get going. Besides, we really can't do anymore tonight anyways."

"Don't leave on my account," Keith put in.

"I really do have to go home. My dad is actually home right now, and I have to get going before I'm late."

* * *

Something about how Logan said his dad was home caught Veronica's attention. Her eyebrows furrowed at the way his eyes shifted away from her, as if he was afraid. "Is everything okay?"

He looked at her, but he quickly looked away. "Why wouldn't everything be okay?"

"I don't know, but I feel like you're hiding something."

"I'm fine, but I have to go." He didn't even say goodbye as he almost ran from the apartment.

"That was weird," she muttered.

"Really weird. Do you know if everything is okay at his home?"

She shrugged. "His dad always scared me a bit, but I don't really know why. If something _was_ wrong, Logan would tell me, though," she said, trying to sound certain. She ruined it when she added a quiet, "I think."

That night, despite her worry about Logan's odd behavior, it wasn't the reason she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about all of the videos she had of Lilly, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to rest until she looked through some of them.

After tossing and turning for a while, she got out of bed and went to her closet. On the floor, there was a box filled to the brim with videos.

She started looking through them and read their labels.

One disc, near the top, had the label 'Homecoming' on it. Her breath caught, and she grabbed it. She quickly went to her laptop and popped it in.

When the video started playing, she knew it was perfect for the video tribute. _This_ was who Lilly was. Watching the tape also had another affect on Veronica.

The next day, she found Logan at his locker and handed him the video. "This is what we needed for the tribute."

He took it. His eyes were shadowed, but he managed a small smile. "Thanks."

"Also, about the Homecoming Dance, if the offer is still on the table, I would really like to go with you."

"I hate to ask the question that might make you decided _against_ going, but what changed your mind?"

She pointed at the disc. "Lilly would want me to have some fun. She said I was red satin and not the yellow cotton dress type. Maybe it's about time I become red satin and be the girl Lilly had been desperately trying to unlock."

He smirked. "You're already pretty close to red satin in my book."

"Well, I'm going to go all the way for the dance," she promised.

"Can't wait," he whispered huskily as he bent down, his lips brushing oh-so-gently against hers.

Neither of them cared about possible spectators; all they saw was each other.

Feeling a bit better after watching more of her Lilly videos, she went back to working on Georgia's case. Both Georgia and Wallace were counting on her, and Veronica wouldn't let them down.

Unfortunately because of her desire to finish the case, she didn't get to see much of Logan. He seemed preoccupied and it bothered her that he wouldn't talk to her. She had other things on her mind and didn't have time to hound him for information.

She saw the way Wallace looked at Georgia and hoped he had a chance with her. With the way Georgia looked at Wallace, Veronica was pretty sure his chances were good.

That night, they did their best to be the epitome of nerds of a college party that was all about recon. They needed to look the part. The more they blended in, the better it would be for them.

The night is somewhat of a success. At least they got some much needed information.

The next day, she enlisted her dad's help. And in a couple of days, the case was solved, and Georgia had her money back.

Veronica was also sure to tip off the anti-Fraud agency that was a part of the FBI. They really needed to know about the scam Grant and Liam were running. It was her civic duty to inform them of it.

The night of the dance and the dedication ceremony, Veronica and Logan stood together. Veronica had her camera to take pictures of people's reactions, and Logan's arm was around her waist.

Celeste stepped up and made a lavish announcement. She played the part of a proud parent well, but both Logan and Veronica knew the truth of how embarrassed she had always been of Lilly's behavior..

* * *

Logan watched as the video tribute began. He held Veronica closer, needing her strength. His eyes misted and his throat became clogged as many images of Lilly played. Pretty Lilly. Sexy Lilly. Life of the party Lilly. Best friend to Veronica Lilly.

When the tribute shifted to the recent Homecoming video that Veronica supplied, Celeste's face became noticeably unhappy.

He didn't care, though. _This_ was the Lilly, Veronica, Duncan, and everyone else had loved. The perfectly imperfect Lilly.

Veronica leaned up to whisper in his ear. "She was beautiful."

"I still remember the kiss you two shared that night. Should have included _that_ in the tribute."

Veronica elbowed him. "That would have scandalized Celeste all together. It might have even given her a heart attack."

"We could have sang Ding Dong the Witch is Dead then."

Veronica kissed him on the cheek. They began paying attention to the video again, and he narrowed his eyes when he saw Duncan glaring at him.

When would his old friend get it through his head? _He_ broke up with Veronica. He no longer had a claim on her, and he should really stop thinking he owned her.

When the video ended, the crowd dispersed. Logan and Veronica separated. They both had to get ready for the dance.

"I'll pick you up tonight," he promised.

"Don't forget we're riding with Wallace and Georgia."

"Of course," he agreed.

When he picked her up with the limo, his breath caught at the strapless red dress she wore. She twirled for him. "You think she would have approved?"

His eyes devoured her form. "Oh yes. She would have been so proud of you."

Veronica smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed a light kiss to his lips. They still had to pick up the other two, so they quickly left.

When the four of them were in the back of a limo, out of nowhere, Veronica suddenly decided she wanted to make a stop.

The limo stopped at the beach, and Veronica took off her shoes. She jumped out of the limo and raced to the ocean.

"What is she doing?" Wallace asked confused.

Logan remembered a game of 'I Never' from last year's Homecoming.

_"I've never gone skinny dipping."_

He smiled at the memory. "I think I know. Stay here," he ordered as he got out of the limo and followed her.

He found her dress laying discarded on the sand, and she was neck deep in the ocean already. Hey eyes were staring at the sky as she waded through the water.

Logan quickly got rid of his own clothes and joined her.

She looked at him. There were tears falling down her cheeks. "Lilly never got the chance to get me to do this," she whispered in a choked voice.

"To Lilly," Logan said.

"To Lilly," she echoed.

Their lips came together, and both of them, naked in the water, let the pain wash over them. Lilly should have been there for Veronica's first time skinny dipping. It just wasn't fair.

When they needed air, they separated. They swam around for a couple of minutes before they nonverbally agreed they had to get back to the limo. They swam back to shore and quickly got their clothes back on.

"Wallace and Georgia are probably going to easily figure out what we were doing," Logan warned.

Veronica shrugged. "So what? Wallace might be my best friend _now_ , but that doesn't mean I need to explain everything that has to do with Lilly. Let him just think I wanted to get a little wild tonight. There's no reason he has to know anything more."

"If he _is_ your best friend, you should be able to trust him," Logan advised.

Veronica looked at him. "I know, but it's hard to talk to him about Lilly when he never even met her."

"Tell him about her. You knew Lilly better than anyone, and I'm sure you'd be able to paint a vivid picture in his head."

Veronica didn't answer as they walked back to the limo, but he could tell her mind was working.

He would leave it alone for the night. After all, they had a dance to enjoy.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back. I'm sorry it has been so long. I lacked serious motivation. I'm not promising it won't happen again, but I'll try my best to make sure it doesn't happen.

Logan didn't know why he decided to go to Tijuana with Luke and Troy. Luke wasn't too bad, but he couldn't stand even the sight of Troy's. That was probably just because of his persistent interest in Veronica.

Still, Logan was one who liked to party. And besides, Veronica was busy, and Duncan was no longer talking to him, so he didn't have anything better to do.

He should have known something would make the trip less than pleasant.

That thing making it unpleasant was Troy talking about Veronica. "So, how long do you think you'll be together?"

Logan glared at him. "Wait all you want, but I'm not going anywhere. Veronica and I would have become a couple soon if I hadn't acted like an idiot after Lilly's death. And now that I have her, I'm not letting go of her."

Troy smirked. "Who says Veronica won't get bored with you?"

"With that comment, you've proved how little you know her. Veronica is a lot of things: stubborn, opinionated, beautiful, smart, and exceedingly loyal. I'm not that worried about losing her."

"Then you wouldn't mind me talking about her so much if you were so secure."

Logan continued glaring at him. "Doesn't mean I like other guys sniffing around her. Especially when they don't understand what her saying 'no' means. It just makes her cranky, and I'm the one who gets the pleasure of dealing with a cranky Veronica."

Luke watched the conversation, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. After all, he knew better than to badmouth Veronica after Logan almost punched him for an insult.

And the _'fun'_ didn't stop there. There was more fun to be had when Troy's car got stolen while they were eating in a diner.

Logan listened to Troy bitch and moan with half a ear as he took out his phone and called his personal knight in shining armor.

It was a long wait, and Logan was very close to punching Troy if he didn't stop complaining, when Veronica finally pulled up to the curb.

"Way to go, Jackass. Getting your car stolen like that," she sarcastically threw out.

Logan went to the passenger seat in the front. "My hero," he playfully swooned, leaning in for a kiss as he got into the car.

Veronica returned it. When they separated, she muttered, "If you hadn't been with them, I probably would have left them here to rot. You know that, right?"

"That's why you're my hero."

Troy tried to smile in a way that he thought charmed girls, but his girl was immovable. "Just get in the car."

The car ride was silent, if one could ignore Troy's continued complaints. Logan's hand rested on Veronica's thigh, and he massaged her tense leg muscles.

Logan listened to Troy's complaints get exceedingly loud, and he knew what was happening. Veronica's sleuthing skills were legendary around Neptune High, and he knew Troy was trying to get Veronica to agree to try to find the car.

Finally, Veronica bit the bullet. "If I agree to locate the car, will you shut up already?" she frustratingly yelled.

Troy smiled. "Of course."

Veronica looked quickly at Logan, as if to gauge his reaction to her spending any amount of time alone with Troy.

Logan simply caressed her cheek. It was time he stopped acting like a jealous jackass. She had made her feelings clear about both Troy and Duncan, and he needed to trust her.

It was hard because of how Lilly had been. Her infidelities had been numerous after all, but despite the fact the girls had been best friends—like sisters—Veronica wasn't Lilly, and she was much more loyal and honest.

He didn't have any reason to mistrust her, and until he did, he would force himself to have faith in her and their relationship.

Veronica smiled slightly, but he read the relief in her eyes that he wasn't going to cause any problems.

Troy, on the other hand, was frowning. He probably had hoped to get a reaction out of Logan because in his mind, if Logan was worried, it meant he had a reason to worry, that Troy had a chance with Veronica.

Even if Veronica wanted another guy, Veronica would never choose Troy. Her standards were much too high.

* * *

Veronica pulled up to Logan's mansion and forlornly said goodbye to her boyfriend. No matter how much she might want to spend some alone time with him, it wouldn't be happening. At least not right then.

Not only was Luke crashing there, but she needed to get some details about the car from Troy. Work now; fun later. That was Veronica's motto.

His very nice kiss before he left the car would have to hold her for a little while.

The next day, at Mars Investigations, Wallace and Veronica huddled near her computer.

"Shouldn't Troy be here?" Wallace asked with a grin.

"The less time I have to spend with him, the better."

"Still bugging you, huh?"

Veronica nodded. "He either enjoys being annoying, or he's just oblivious to how annoying he actually is."

She opened the Prying Eyez Dotcom website and teased Wallace about what she could find out about him.

When her dad came in, they joked about his birthday, but she kept quiet about Troy's car. There was no reason to alert him about the case.

Later that day, when she was home, the phone rang, and she heard the message for her dad and found out it was Rebecca James from the Counseling Office at Neptune High. Her breath caught in her throat at the implications, and she knew she had to get out of there.

She grabbed her things and left. She only had one destination in mind. She got to the Echolls mansion and hurried to the door. She rang the ornate bell and smiled at Mrs. Narvarro when she answered. "Is Logan home?"

"In his room."

Veronica nodded. She didn't knock on his bedroom door, just barged in. "I think my dad is dating Miss James."

Logan looked up from his magazine and raised his eyebrows. "Miss James? Should I know who that is?"

Veronica rolled her eyes. "The guidance counselor! I can't believe my dad is dating her. I can't believe he's dating anyone! What about Mom?"

Logan sat up, and his eyes softened. "Okay, I can understand why you're upset, but your mom left. You don't know where she is. And don't you want your dad to find a least a little bit of happiness? Don't you think he deserves it?"

"He can be happy with my mom," she weakly argued.

"Maybe, maybe not, but she's not here. And you know things weren't great when she was here. Or did you forget about how you used to call me and Lilly crying because of their fighting and her drinking?"

Veronica threw herself into his arms and sniffled. "I know. It's just..."

"It's just, like a lot of kids, you want your parents to get back together and be a happy family again. That's not always possible, though, and I think you should cut your dad some slack. Even if he's dating Miss James, it doesn't mean they'll be together for long. You might be getting upset for no reason at all."

"I know, but I hate the thought of him with anyone but Mom."

Logan held her tighter. "I know."

She closed her eyes and basked in the comfort his arms provided. It was just what she needed.

She stayed there with Logan as long as she could, but she knew she had to go home eventually. She did so when she knew her dad wasn't home; she wasn't ready to face him yet.

She was already in bed by the time he did come home, so their talk would have to wait until the next day.

The next morning, she tried to keep her cool and casually brought up his relationship with Miss James while he was putting her mom's things in storage.

She didn't know how well she did, but she tried her best to not show her anger.

When he left, she went over the box and picked up the picture of her dad, mom, and her. They had looked so happy then. It was weird how much things had changed since then.

Veronica dug through the box and found a small, red jewelry box. And inside, there was a small envelope. Veronica opened that and found a safety deposit box key.

She frowned as she grabbed it. "What was Mom doing with a safety deposit box key? And does Dad know about it?"

The next day, Luke rushed into her journalism class as class finished, just as she shut off her computer that had shown Lianne Mars' death certificate. "You're helping Troy find his dad's car, right?"

Veronica stared at him. "Unfortunately. Why?"

"There was kind of more to this car thing than the car. There was a piñata full of steroids in the back seat. I-I did a run for Hank Zigman. He owns the Zig Zag Sports Club. I wanted to get pumped for Varsity baseball. I was…pretty much down for whatever."

Veronica shot him a look of disgust. "Including shrunken testicles and acne scars. Well, speaking for the women of American – good plan! Wait a minute. Did Logan know about this?"

 _'He better not have,'_ she thought dangerously.

Luke shook his head.

Veronica glared at him.

Luke gave in. "Okay, he knew, but he wasn't in on it. He doesn't want anything to do with drugs. At least not since Shelley's party."

Veronica believed him. She knew Logan still felt guilty about what almost happened in that bedroom due to her being drugged. And she knew he blamed himself because he provided the drugs, even though what happened had never been his intention. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I don't help dealers find their lost products." She smiled in an almost sweet manner, but there was a sarcastic tinge to it. "Try going to the police. Maybe they'll help you. At least before they arrest you."

"You'd be saving my life, though. The guy will kill me if I don't have it. Or at the very least, he'll break an arm or leg."

" _If_ I were to help you, you would have to return the steroids and get your money back and then return the cash, not the drugs."

"I'll do whatever," Luke desperately said.

"Fine, I'll figure something out. For now, lay low."

Later that day, after school, Veronica got in to the safety deposit box. And she pulled out files and photographs.

The pictures were all candid shots of Veronica. On each of them, the crosshairs of a target were drawn over her face.

 _'Maybe my mom had no choice but to leave, in order to protect me,'_ she thought hopefully. If that was true, there could still be hope for her parents to get back together.

When she was at Mars Investigations later that day, she was going through the pictures when Miss James came in. And that was one awkward conversation.

The next night, Veronica basked in Logan's embrace as they laid together. His hands gently rubbed her naked back as her head was pillowed by his chest.

"Please tell me you're almost done with Troy and his stupid car," he begged.

"I wish. It's been a lot of brick walls. I want to be done with it as much as you want me to be done with it, believe me."

Logan stared down at her. "I do." He held her impossibly closer as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You should have told me about the steroids," she suddenly threw out, deciding it was time to mention it.

"I know. I didn't intentionally keep it from you. Honestly, it didn't even occur to me. I was more focused about you working with Troy."

Veronica laughed. "That's okay. You'll just have to make it up to me."

"Really? How?" he asked as he stared down at her.

She raised her head to lock eyes with him. "You will be taking me to Luigi's so I can get some tasty manicotti."

"So, I have to watch you eat?" He playfully shuddered.

She twisted his exposed nipple. "Watch it, Buddy. Otherwise, you won't be getting laid again for quite a while, and your new best friend will become your hand."

He chastely kissed her nose. "Don't worry. I love watching you eat, even if it is a bit scary."

The next day, when Miss James showed up for an impromptu dinner, in order to bond with Veronica, the blonde knew she had to get out of there. She couldn't pretend to play happy families with her dad and Miss James.

She went to Breakers yard and got Weevil's help to hopefully find the missing piñata. It was a dead end, though. She was getting _really_ sick of all the dead ends.

If she wasn't so stubborn and hated admitting defeat, she would have already given up on the stupid case. It was not like she enjoyed spending time with Troy, and the more time she spent on the case, the less time she got with Logan or Wallace.

It wasn't any fun.

She was stubborn, though, and she was determined that no case would ever beat her!

The next day, she pulled Luke into the girl's bathroom that had quickly become her office and told him he'd have to buy Ziggy off because he was out of luck.

He complained, but Veronica wasn't in the mood to hold his hand. "Figure it out," she ordered before she angrily stormed out of the bathroom.

That night, she was in her bedroom when she heard her dad come home. She walked out of her room and towards her dad slowly. She couldn't help but sarcastically comment, "One more hour, and this might actually constitute a walk of shame."

Her dad was going to go to bed, but Veronica admitted she needed some help finding Troy's car.

The next day, he went to Beacon Corporation, and he got them to turn the alarm system on with some fancy lying.

Meanwhile, Veronica convinced Luke to auction off his Barry Bond's ball to get the money.

Later that day, after journalism and after she gets a gentle chiding from Miss Mallory, Veronica got an idea thanks to what her journalism teacher said.

She looked up Miss James and found some information her dad _needed_ to know. And when she got to Mars Investigations after school, she showed her dad the file. He wasn't amused.

He gave her the code and left angrily. She thought about going to see Logan; he was always able to make her feel better, but she decided she would rather just find the car and be done with Troy.

Once Troy had his car back, she could go over to Logan's mansion. And then maybe she'd spend the whole night with him. That would teach her dad.

It turned out to be another dead end because the signal was coming from a dog!

The next day, her dad left her a file on Troy.

When she got to school, she pulled Logan into the girl's bathroom. "I think Troy might have had something to do with the missing car. It turns out he had got busted in his previous two schools for drug possession and trafficking, along with his girlfriend, Shauna. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he and Shauna cooked up this little plan together if he knew Luke was planning to get the steroids."

"If he's still with this girl, why try so hard to get you?"

Veronica shrugged. "For fun? A challenge? To beat you? All of the above? Who knows and who cares."

Logan whistled. "Wow, now what are you going to do?"

Veronica smirked. "Troy thinks he has me fooled. He's going to get a rude awakening."

Logan returned her smirk. "I'm definitely glad I'm not him right now."

Later that day after school, she took care of Luke's problem at Zig Zag's club.

During her dad's birthday celebration, she found out he ended things with Miss James. She felt guilty, but she also felt just a tiny bit happy. She knew that was petty and mean, but she just didn't want to see her dad dating another woman, especially when there was a chance that her mom left for a good reason and would be able to come back once everything was sorted out.

The next day, Logan took her to Luigi's for lunch. Over a plate of baked ziti for Logan and manicotti for Veronica, she told him what she did to Troy.

She told him about how she found the stashed steroids in the diner's bathroom. And how his plan was completely ruined because they were now somewhere between her toilet and the Pacific Ocean.

Logan grinned. "My evil little girlfriend. I'm so proud of you."

"At least there's no more Troy to deal with," she grinned.

"Thank god for that," Logan adamantly agreed.

While she enjoyed a nice meal with Logan, she missed a call from her mother on one of the small phones she had, and it was something she would kick herself about when she realized it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live! I have no excuses. Except I got busy in my main fandom, Harry Potter. I've decided I'm going to work on my Lucissa WIP Mondays and Tuesdays, and this one on Fridays and Saturdays. If I'm lucky, I'll managed a weekly update schedule.
> 
> So sorry that I've been bad about updating.

Logan glared at the tour guide and fans. This wasn't what he wanted to deal with first thing in the morning. In fact, all he wanted to do was see was Veronica.

His mom called him back just as his dad arrived and joined the fans. He signed autographs and took pictures. "Hey, Logan. Come here."

Logan didn't want to; he wanted to go inside and call his very hot girlfriend, but he knew better than to argue, especially in front of the public.

It couldn't end fast enough and the first chance he got, he escaped to the mansion to get his bag, phone, and keys.

He got into his car and hit speed dial 1.

He tapped his foot as he waited to hear the familiar voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey,"

"Is everything okay?"

Leave it to Veronica to hear that something was wrong with a one-word answer. "Just my dad being my dad. Really can't wait to see you, though."

"I wasn't going to leave for a few minutes, but if you're on the way to school, I can leave now."

"In my car getting ready to leave."

"Then I'll see you soon."

He ended the call and took a deep breath. He already felt better. Hearing Veronica's voice worked miracles.

He drove to Neptune High and was gratified to see Veronica's car, with Veronica leaning against the front when he entered the parking lot. He parked next to her and got out, and she immediately went to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. He inhaled the scent of her shampoo and let it comfort him.

"You want to talk?"

He laughed. "You, the poster girl for bottling up everything, is asking me if I want to talk."

She looked at him. "I appreciate the irony, but you didn't answer my question."

"Being with you is enough." And despite how cheesy it was, he meant it.

A noise of disgust broke their nice moment, and they both turned their heads to see Duncan.

Veronica didn't leave Logan's embrace, but she said, "Hello, Duncan."

"DK," Logan acknowledged.

Instead of answering, Duncan stomped away in a huff and headed inside the school.

"Still doesn't like the idea of us together, I guess," Logan mused.

"Not my problem."

She leaned up and kissed him, and he eagerly returned it. His hands left her back and went south towards her behind.

She broke the kiss with a laugh. "Not at school, Mister Echolls. Come on."

Together, they walked inside the school.

* * *

Logan, Wallace, and Veronica were sitting at their usual table.

While Veronica and Wallace kept talking about the zoo, Logan kept looking at the 09'er table.

She nudged him. "You miss sitting with all of the beautiful people?" she asked. It was supposed to come out in a teasing manner, but she couldn't hide a hint of insecurity.

Logan looked at her. "I'm already sitting with the most beautiful girl in the world. I guess I just miss feeling like I have friends."

"What am I?" she asked.

"You're my girlfriend." She looked at him. " _And_ my friend. But a girlfriend isn't the same thing as having guy friends.

"Dude, what about me?" Wallace broke in offended.

Veronica put a hand over her mouth. "Wallace, you mean well, but I don't think you and Logan ever hung out without me around. And I think that goes against Logan's definition of friends."

Logan thought about it. Why couldn't he and Wallace be friends? Of course, Wallace wasn't a 09'er, but either was Veronica, and that didn't stop them from making it work.

"Hey, Wallace, want to come over this weekend? Maybe play some video games. I mean, if you're into video games?"

Wallace grinned. "Sure."

Veronica looked from Logan and then to Wallace. "What just happened?"

Before anyone could answer her, a loud whistle was heard, and a girl named Wanda Varner beckoned over a food delivery man.

And the three of them watched as Wanda got told she wasn't allowed food delivery because she didn't have pirate points.

"That's just wrong," Veronica muttered. And a new plot was already forming in her mind.

* * *

Logan held Veronica from behind as she detailed her plan the next day. "This thing, to get Wanda elected president. Is it because you just don't want Duncan to be president?"

She looked at him over her shoulder. "Of course not, but Wanda will actually try to make the school better for  _everyone_ , and not just the 09'ers. And  _that's_ something I can support."

"You're so cute when you get righteous."

"Down, Boy. I have work to do if I'm going to help Wanda win."

"So, I'm going to get less Veronica time, huh?"

She turned around in his arms and planted a strong kiss on his lips. "That will have to hold you for a while," she whispered against his lips.

"Hopefully not that long of a while."

* * *

Logan and Wallace were doing their guy thing that weekend like they planned. It worked out well because Veronica was busy trying to prove that the election was fixed.

"So," Wallace began, but he didn't go anywhere with it.

"So," Logan echoed.

"This isn't awkward at all," Wallace joked.

"I think the only thing we have in common is Veronica and video games."

"That should be enough. I'm planning to be Veronica's best friend for a long time, and I can see you're going to be part of her life for a long time."

Logan looked at the couch. "I hope so, but I know she's way too good for me. I just hope  _she_ doesn't figure it out."

"Oh, she's  _definitely_ way too good for you, but lucky for you, she's blinded by love."

Logan smirked. "Yeah, lucky me."

* * *

No one was more surprised than Logan when Veronica showed up at the Mansion one night. She looked upset. "What is it?"

"Wanda tried to frame me for drug possession because she didn't actually  _want_ to be a president. It was all a lie to save herself. I pride myself at being such a good judge of character, and I feel like an idiot."

Logan brought her inside. "You're not an idiot. You were trying to do a good thing for the school. There's nothing wrong with that." He kissed her on the forehead and looked at her again with a careful gaze. "Are you sure there's nothing else bothering you?"

Veronica thought about telling him about her new discoverings in Lily's murder case. The parking ticket that made the Kanes' alibis not as airtight. The shoes that shouldn't be in Abel Koontz's possession.

But she didn't say anything, afraid of Logan's reaction if she knew she and her dad were still investigating Lilly's death.

Instead, she just kissed Logan with all of her might, and thankfully, he returned it.


End file.
